Carol’s Versatile Chicken Salad – Here’s the Recipe

Need a great cold meal or a quickie salad for a hot summer day? Try this refreshing chicken salad that makes use of almost any kind of leftover chicken, or even canned chicken breast. You won’t be disappointed!

As promised, here is my personal recipe for my chicken salad. This salad is one I have made for years in all its variations. I first got the idea from my dad, who loved chicken salad, so I started making it for him when I was at home in the summers during my college years. He was a big fan (my biggest fan!), and I still think of him every time I make it.

It’s simple to make and doesn’t take a lot of time. You can leave out ingredients or add more, and it will still work. The two most essential parts are the cold chopped chicken (white or dark meat), and some chopped onion. I like to use sweet onions, but Bermuda onions work fine, too.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups chopped cold chicken (I like to use a mix of white and dark meat, but whatever you prefer will work). It’s okay to substitute canned chicken – just drain it and use as is. My aunt made a delicious chicken salad, and she always used canned chicken.
• 1/3 to1/2 cup finely chopped onion (more to taste)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery (about one medium stalk) I just use a little – use more if you’re a fan of celery.
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• mayonnaise – for 2 cups chicken, about 2 TBSP. Start with 1 TBSP and when you mix it, you’ll be able to add more to adjust the salad to the moistness you want
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 hard cooked egg (boiled), chopped into small chunks or diced
• 2-3 TBSP sweet pickle relish
• paprika (optional for appearance and taste)
• Other optional ingredients: chopped apples, pecans or walnuts; raisins, dried cranberries, or even water chestnuts

How to make it

• Place the chicken, onion, celery, and egg into a medium-large mixing bowl. Add the yellow mustard and the pickle relish in the specified amounts. If you are adding additional ingredients, add them to the mix now, too. (see “variations” below)
• Next, mix well with a fork – keep it light. You don’t want to mash the eggs or make the chicken too finely shredded. For this salad, small to medium chunks of chicken are best.
• Add the mayonnaise one tablespoon at a time, mixing well with a fork. Add more mayonnaise until the texture is as moist as you like. I like mine pretty moist, so for me, more is better.
• Sprinkle the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar over the salad and mix again.
• Next, taste and adjust with salt and pepper. The amount of salt and pepper you use will depend on your personal preference, and also on the cooking method of the chicken you’re using. If it was more salty, you will need less salt in the salad. I don’t use a lot – perhaps at most, a quarter teaspoon. Remember, start with just a tiny bit and add more, because once it’s in the salad, you can’t take it out. A few shakes with a salt shaker (ditto for pepper) should be enough. I like to add just the smallest amount when I’m making it up, and then when it’s served, you can add freshly ground sea salt and/or peppercorns for a super fresh taste.
• Serve over salad greens, or in a tomato that’s been either quartered and opened like a flower, or hollowed out and filled with the chicken salad. Garnish with greens of your choice.

Variations to try:

• Try serving the chicken salad in a halved, peeled avocado. That’s a keto meal at its best!
• This salad will be delicious with other added ingredients. Try adding some coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans – not too many! If you like them, try coarsely chopping some sliced water chestnuts instead of the walnuts and add those. The taste and texture will be different, depending on which you add, but still delicious.
• I’m a big fan of mayonnaise, but if you aren’t, try adding just a little extra virgin olive oil instead of the mayo. Again, go slowly so you don’t get too much, and check the taste, too, as you go.
• Add a tablespoon (or more) of raisins or dried cranberries to the mix. Delicious!
• Add a few halved seedless grapes or some coarsely chopped apple. The sweetness of the fruit is a nice change and really makes it even better.
• This will present even better if you garnish it with some fresh sprouts or a few microgreens. You might try incorporating a small amount of bean sprouts into the salad for a crunchy variation, especially with the water chestnut variation.