Light and creamy chicken salad made with cooked or canned chicken, red onion, crisp celery, and just the right amount of seasoning!
I have been blessed to have had some really fantastic everyday recipes shared with me over the years and this is one of them. This recipe for the Best Chicken Salad Ever is in regular rotation in our house because it is so versatile!
Delicious as a sandwich, in a wrap, and even on it’s own right out of the bowl, this is less expensive than the deli version and super easy to make. If you haven’t tried it, you really should. It could become a new favorite in your house too.
Weight Watchers Points = 3 per serving (Point Breakdown in Recipe Notes)
A NOTE ABOUT A Lighter Take on this Classic Favorite
We have made this recipe literally hundreds of times with great results. When we started making healthier changes to our eating habits, we lightened up the recipe buy making just two small changes, substituting light sour cream and light mayonnaise.
These changes didn’t seem to change the taste at all but they substantially changed the amount of calories and fat in the recipe. When counting Weight Watchers points, these small changes brought the points down from 11 points per serving to only 3 points per serving and it is still delicious!
How to Make The Best Chicken Salad Ever
One day I was making Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip and the recipe called for pre-made chicken salad from the deli. When I arrived at the grocery store to pick some up the price was a LOT higher than I was expecting to pay.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the convenience of pre-made, but since it is literally made up of leftover chicken and pantry staples I have a really hard time paying that much for it. So I didn’t.
This recipe for the Best Chicken Salad Ever came from a friend who answered the call when I put a plea out on Facebook for a good chicken salad recipe. She often used leftover rotisserie chicken when she made it but since I didn’t have any leftover chicken I thought I would try to make it with canned chicken from Costco. And it was amazing. Simple and so good. And a new favorite recipe was born.
To make the BEST chicken salad ever – start with shredding or chopping three cups of cooked chicken.
If you are using the Costco canned chicken (two 12.5 ounce cans), drain, put into a bowl and shred with a fork.
Add 1/4 cup of chopped red onion and stir.
Add celery, lemon juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and stir to combine well.
Chill until ready to use. That’s all there is to it!
As mentioned previously you can use this to make Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip or you can just make some pretty fantastic little sandwiches. You can also serve it with crackers, on a salad, or just eat it with a fork. It is THAT good without the crazy price tag at the grocery store deli. Enjoy!
Other Favorite Recipes You May Like
Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip – The recipe that started it all! This Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip uses Deli chicken salad to add a delicious twist to a potluck favorite!
Bite Sized Sausage Rolls – the BEST bite sized sausage rolls that I have ever tasted. Yum.
Party Pretzel Bites – these delicious little bites are addictive and always welcomed at any gathering.
Quick and Easy Bruschetta – restaurant quality Bruschetta is hiding in the ingredients in your refrigerator!
Easy Homemade Ranch Dip – just seven simple pantry ingredients to create a delicious and easy Homemade Ranch Dip!
Best Chicken Salad Ever
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken (leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken or 2 cans Costco canned chicken)
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 2 pieces of celery (including leafy tops) chopped, about one cup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop red onion and celery.
- In a medium bowl, break up, finely chop or shred the chicken.
- Add chopped onion and celery, lemon juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Chill until ready to use. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Robert Holsing says
it’s my go to recipe for chicken salad. I’m single and I just boil the chicken breast, dice celery and onion a dollop of sour cream and a bigger dollop of mayo salt and pepper I don’t do the lemon juice to me it’s perfect thank you for sharing
Sally says
This is a good idea. I didn’t think about the chicken breast like that. Thank you.
Michelle Mundy says
Sounds like a great way to make it for one! 🙂
anneliese Fleming says
best chicken salad
Michelle Mundy says
Thanks Anneliese! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Katharine says
This was delicious, thank you for sharing 👍
Michelle Mundy says
You are so very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Susan says
I’ve never tried canned chicken but bought some during a trip to Sam’s Club. This seemed like a great base recipe, so I gave it a try. I had to omit the onion, as I can’t have it. I added dried cranberries and a sprinkling of slivered almonds. Delicious!
Michelle Mundy says
Thanks for the great ideas Susan! Chicken and cranberries with slivered almonds sprinkled on top sounds delicious. We never thought that we would embrace the idea of canned chicken but for this recipe and so many others it is an awesome ingredient. 🙂
Doug says
The basic chicken salad was great
I added half cup of cranberries and 1/3 cup of toasted walnuts
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 of sour cream
1/4 cup Greek yogurt plain
Turned out delicious
Michelle Mundy says
Wonderful to hear Doug! Thank you for the variation. I love to hear how people make it their own 🙂
Judy Cocke says
I put mine on a bed of lettuce and served with pear halves along with avocado. Parsley garnish. My friends were so impressed. Was a huge hit
Michelle Mundy says
That sounds amazing! Now I want to try it that way! Thank you for the great idea 🙂
Barbara says
So good, the lemon juice gives the right amount of tanginess. Love it
Michelle Mundy says
I agree Barbara! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Jodi says
This simple recipe is my favorite way to make chicken salad. It’s soooo good. I eat it with multigrain crackers.
Michelle Mundy says
There are days when I just eat it with a fork! Thanks for taking the time to comment Jodi!! 🙂
Darren says
This is such a great recipe both as a standalone recipe and as a base for more ambitious/experimental chicken salad recipes I’ve tried.
The Bandit says
Thanks for the comment Darren! Awesome 🙂
Sheila says
This is the best! I finally found the recipe I have been searching for, just simple chicken salad without all the bells and whistles, and very tasty. We love it on croissants. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Michelle Mundy says
So very welcome! So happy you enjoy it as much as we do 🙂
Keith Langdon says
Super easy and delicious!
The Bandit says
Glad to hear Keith! Enjoy! 🙂
Carol says
grilled chicken salad, Swiss cheese and avocado sandwiches…yummmm
The Bandit says
THAT SOUNDS AMAZING! <3
M. King says
I made this chicken salad for tonight’s dinner, which was terrific. My fiance commented on how good the chicken salad was.
Jane says
Truly best chicken salad ever!!!!
Robin says
Great recipe! Really good on it’s own sometimes I add halved grapes, or pecans! This one is a hit!!
Marcia May says
I’m assuming you mean 2 “ribs” of celery instead of stalks. One stalk contains at least 10-12 ribs. 2 stalks will be excessive!
The Bandit says
Yes two individual pieces of celery. This was an interesting thing for me, that a stalk is actually the whole thing! I did a little research and found this: According to the USDA, a “stalk” means the whole bunch or head and a single piece or stick is called a “rib.” This does not reflect common usage, however, so use caution in interpreting recipes! “Celery stalk,” in American English, is commonly used to mean one piece/rib/stick of celery. Consider the proportion of ingredients when deciding if the author of the recipe meant a rib or the whole bunch. Thanks for pointing it out! I have always used the common usage. Learn something new every day! 🙂
Jojo says
Made this with chicken breasts, just poached them in chicken broth first AND I did use 2 stalks of celery….TOTALLY knew what you meant because I am from the Midwest and that is what we’ve always called them, not ribs. lol Really good recipe, thank you!
The Bandit says
So happy to hear that I’m not crazy afterall about the celery! LOL And so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! 🙂
Tish says
Many years ago I made this error with garlic because I didn’t know any better and used an entire bulb of garlic. It was a disaster! Young people/kitchen virgins need these technicalities clearly spelled out especially they may be trying to impress their friend or significant other 😉 Can’t assume that someone in a different region than you shares a common understanding of a rib vs. a stalk✌️
The Bandit says
Hi Tish! You are completely right! I have made some notable recipe mistakes due to language in recipes over my lifetime (my hubby could tell some stories) so I went in and changed the recipe to read “2 pieces of celery (including leafy tops) chopped, about one cup”. Pretty sure that this is much clearer for everyone. Thank you for the reminder that when you are learning, everything is quite literal! 🙂
Pat Waldenmeyer says
Great recipe! We like to add halved green and/or red seedless grapes and put it over a bed of mixed spring baby greens, fresh tomato wedges and sprinkle walnuts over the top. Yummm!
The Bandit says
That sounds delicious. We make this probably more often than we should – I love the bed of greens idea. We have done them in lettuce wraps before but it would be delicious on a salad!
Joan says
Loved this recipe. Husband loved it too. Simple, easy to prepare and the lemon really makes it taste great! I use low-fat mayo and sour cream.
The Bandit says
Hi Joan! We could eat this pretty much every day! We use it in the buffalo chicken dip recipe mostly but it makes great sandwiches and is great on crackers as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and for being a regular visitor. I hope you’ll find more you love!
Barbara says
I make this all the time now. Hubby loves it! I sometimes add dill pickles and grainy mustard. Thanks for this wonderful recipe and my husband thanks you too😂
Hazel says
I’ve now made this twice in the last 2 months. It’s a very good chicken salad as is. 😋 Today I used lime juice (I didn’t have any lemons); it seemed a lil more tart, but I like that. And as you see by some reviews……you can vary the recipe to your own preferences. Thank you “Recipe Bandit”. 👍
Justine Botha says
Dear Bandit,
Thank you for the ‘Best Ever Chicken Salad’-recipe!
My family truly enjoys it and I have been asked to make this dish time and time again!
Thank you again! Happy cooking 🙂
The Bandit says
❤️
Denise Trick says
Looks delicious
The Bandit says
❤️
Susan says
Add Craisens, dried cranberries, for a yummy touch of sweetness!! Sooo good!
The Bandit says
Great suggestion Susan! So many things can be added and it just keeps getting better! ❤️
Hazel says
I think I’ll try your idea next time……I also enjoy that lil sweet added to some dishes. 😋
gladys bulaya says
Am glad to be part of those to benefit from your updates
The Bandit says
So happy to have you here Gladys! ❤️
Carolyn says
I added sweet pickles with juice as I like mine sweet!
The Bandit says
That would be delicious! I usually do that with Tuna. I’ll have to try it with chicken salad! <3