This is a tried & true Easy Chicken Salad Recipe that will make you think twice before reaching for that deli chicken salad! It is soooo good. Today, I am sharing with you my secret for making the perfect batch of chicken salad! I also recommend heading over to peak at a salad that is a meal in and of itself: Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad!

I love chicken salad because of its versatility. You can pack it in plastic containers for tailgates (keep it in the cooler!) OR you can dress it up with fancy rolls for a luncheon. First things first, let’s take a look at the grocery list.

Easy Chicken Salad Recipe Grocery List:

two cups cooked shredded chicken OR several pieces of raw bone in chicken that you will cook. (I use thighs & drumsticks for flavor.)
onion & celery (toss in a few carrots too if you will be cooking your chicken for the salad – you’ll see why in a sec!)
mayonnaise
salt & pepper
pecans & grapes – these are optional but are traditionally found in chicken salad
cute serving bowls – here are are the ones I use.

One of my best friends, Katelyn, lives in Charlotte. Our visits together are fewer than we would like. (She’s the BFF who clued me in about wisdom teeth removal– love this girl!) Anyway, she was down in Orlando and we absolutely HAD to get together for lunch. Instead of trying to talk above others at a busy restaurant, I set up a casual luncheon at home for us!

In a large serving dish, I placed generous scoops of my Easy Chicken Salad & Southern Pimento Cheese together. Rolls were placed in a small bowl; we could graze on our very own sandwich assortment. Fresh fruit rounded out our luncheon! (Not pictured: fresh bakery rolls)

Tips for this Easy Chicken Salad Recipe:

Your chicken MUST be cooked or roasted with seasonings. Canned chicken doesn’t work well in this recipe.
Leftover rotisserie chicken will be just fine.
My preference is to cook a few pieces of chicken in a special seasoned broth (see below).
Use a good quality mayonnaise. A sandwich dressing like Miracle Whip- while we love it-is not ideal for chicken salad.
Chicken salad must be kept COLD! Never let your chicken salad come to room temperature for very long.

How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad:

Gather a pot, a few bone-in chicken pieces, 1/2 cup large onion pieces, a stalk of celery cut into thirds, a few small carrots, salt and pepper.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Toss in vegetables & seasonings; let this boil for 3-5 minutes.
Add chicken pieces to broth. Reduce heat to medium and let the chicken cook in the broth.
When chicken is no longer pink, remove from broth. Pull chicken meat from the bone; chop fine and place in a bowl.
Your chicken broth can be saved and/or frozen for use in another recipe.

Enjoy – it is truly the BEST and easy chicken salad recipe!

SHOP THE TAILGATE!