Four-Ingredient Chicken Salad
On a croissant or in a wrap, scooped up with crackers or served on a bed of greens, chicken salad is best when made with leftover roast chicken and the right balance of simple ingredients.
Four-Ingredient Chicken Salad
Traditional chicken salad is made from four simple ingredients: cooked chicken, mayonnaise/salad dressing, celery and onion. Getting the right ratio of ingredients is the key to a balanced mixture of meat and enough dressing to hold the ingredients together. While I love celery and onion, it doesn’t take much to overpower the chicken. Dicing these vegetables very finely allows the flavors to distribute throughout the salad in a pleasant way.
If you have an onion that is especially potent, chop it into small pieces, soak in ice water for ten minutes, and drain well on paper towels. Soaking reduces the sharpness of the onions.
Customize
Once you have made the basic recipe, there are so many ways to customize it. Add fruit (grapes, apples, dried cranberries). Stir in some fresh dill, thyme, chives or basil. Give it a little extra tanginess with a squeeze of lemon juice. Sliced cucumbers and fresh spinach provide added nutrition and crunch to a sandwich. You can’t go wrong with a couple slices of crispy bacon.
My personal favorite way to enjoy chicken salad is how my mom serves it. She adds a little mustard to the dressing, piles up the chicken salad on chopped lettuce, sprinkles some peas over the top and surrounds the lettuce base with Chow Mein noodles!
Cream puff shells are a stunning way to serve this recipe for a special occasion. I have made these mini cream puffs several times for bridal and baby showers. They have always been a big hit with the guests. Here is a photo from a Spring Tea Time tablescape!
Traditional Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced
- 1/4 cup finely diced celery
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup salad dressing, mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- salt & pepper if needed
Instructions
- Combine chicken, celery and onion in a large bowl.
- Add half of the salad dressing, stirring to incorporate.
- Continue adding as much of the remaining dressing as needed to hold the other ingredients together.
- Taste and add salt and/or pepper, if needed.
Loved reaading this thank you