8 Creative Recipes with Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad has been around for over 150 years. And while the general thought of mixing leftover chicken with mayonnaise and some seasonings hasn’t changed too drastically, today many more creative recipes with chicken salad can be found and are even better than the original. Forget all those traditional chicken salad recipes. We’ve chosen 8 delectable recipes below just for you. With mixins such as greek yogurt and hot sauce, these are delicious chicken salad recipes for everyone!


Ultimate Chicken Salad Recipe

Before adventuring into unique flavors and uses for chicken, getting the Ultimate Chicken Salad recipe right is crucial. With just a few ingredients, a delicious and filling cold, creamy salad can be whipped up and used in a traditional sandwich, on salads, in a wrap – the list of uses is endless.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 cups (about 2 pounds) cooked, chopped, or shredded chicken breast (baked or rotisserie); cooled
  • 3/4 cup small diced apple
  • 1/3 cup fresh grapes
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, mustard, onion powder, salt, and pepper well. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste if necessary.
  2. Add the chopped or shredded chicken to the bowl.
  3. Gently fold in the apple, grapes, and almonds.
  4. Once mixed well, eat or store in the refrigerator and add this one to your recipes with chicken salad.
8 Creative Recipes With Chicken Salad

The Best Chicken Salad Sandwich

This is a pretty simple chicken salad recipe. Once you have made an amazing chicken salad base, it’s time to whip this up into a meal! Let’s make the best Chicken Salad Sandwich there is!

First, choose the best vessel to hold it on. Sure you could go as simple as a plain piece of white bread or even some ordinary crackers. But for this amazing meal, a croissant is the way to go. A buttery, flakey croissant sliced in half, spread with a bit of additional mayo, and stacked with a heavy scoop of chicken salad is perfection.

Add a slice of crispy, crunchy lettuce, maybe a little tomato, and this sandwich is one no one can turn down. These sandwiches are perfect for lunch, but are beautiful for brunch, set out for a party, and are great as leftovers too. Make sure to whip up a few because everyone’s going to love them!

READ MORE: 3 Simple Summer Salad Recipes

Chicken Salad Melts

A melt is a classic way to take a sandwich to the next level. And though Tuna always gets the spotlight here, chicken salad is just as delicious toasted with some melted cheese. Once you have a favorite chicken salad base ready to go you can whip up this sandwich anytime for a throwback comfort food to make anyone happy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices of bread, whole wheat or white
  • 1/2 cup of chicken salad
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, OR 2 slices of sandwich cheese (we recommend brie or mozzarella)
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 slices of tomato

Steps:

  1. Turn the oven on broil.
  2. White heating a wide, oven-safe pan on low heat on the stove, brush butter onto one side of each slice of bread.
  3. Once the stove is hot, place both slices of bread butter side down into the pan.
  4. Divide the cheese, and place equal amounts of cheese on top of each slide of bread.
  5. Divide the chicken salad and place equal amounts of it on top of each as well.
  6. Place 1 slice of tomato on each side.
  7. Carefully turn off the stove and place the oven-safe pan into the oven to cook the top of the sandwich.
  8. Keep a close eye on the broiling sandwich. When the cheese is melted, and the tomato is warmed, using an oven mitt, carefully remove the pan.
  9. Using a spatula flip one side of the sandwich onto the other so that the tomatoes meet, and remove the sandwich. Slice in half and enjoy.

BLTA Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

If you’re looking for something classic but lighter, these chicken salad lettuce wraps will hit the spot. Flavored with crispy bacon and smooth avocado, it has tons of flavor and you won’t miss the bread.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp sliced green onions
  • 1 Tbsp minced parsley
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups diced cooked and chilled chicken breast
  • 6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1 medium avocado, diced
  • Romaine lettuce leaves for wrapping

Steps:

  1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, and parsley while seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Add chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and celery to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add in the dressing mixture and toss to coat. Gently toss in avocado.
  4. Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves.
READ MORE: 40 Summer Salads the Whole Family will Love

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad Roll-Ups

Who doesn’t love a “buffalo-ed” recipe? The vinegar-y kick, and sometimes spicy addition of buffalo sauce, the tang of the blue cheese or the zing of the ranch – just makes a mouth water thinking about all the flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups of shredded chicken
  • Tortilla wraps
  • Shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup mayo
  • ⅓ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
  • 2 tsp Hidden Valley ranch seasoning and salad dressing powder
  • 1/2 cup carrots shredded
  • 1/2 cup celery diced
  • 1/4 cup scallions chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

  1. Combine the hot sauce, yogurt, mayo, and ranch seasoning in a large mixing bowl. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Fold in the veggies – carrots, celery, scallions – as well as the shredded chicken.
  3. Lay out a tortilla flat. Spread about 1/2 cup of chicken salad mixture all over wrap with a spatula.
  4. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of shredded cheese all over on top of the chicken salad.
  5. Gently roll up the wrap to make a log. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  6. Using a sharp knife, slice into 6-8 uniform pieces.
  7. Place the roll-ups, cut side up, on a serving platter. Sprinkle with a little fresh parsley, if desired, for garnish. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
READ MORE: Banana Nut & Coconut Chicken Salad

Curry Chicken Salad

If you’re looking for recipes with chicken salad that pack a punch, look no further than this Curry Chicken Salad. The slight sweetness of the honey, and the unique flavors of the curry and ginger, make this chicken salad a nice switch up from any ordinary recipe.

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
  • 1/2 diced red onion
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1/4 cup diced green onions 
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and stir until smooth.
  2. In a large bowl combine all the salad ingredients together.
  3. Add dressing to the salad and toss to combine.
  4. Serve or refrigerate.

Pineapple Chicken Salad Croissants

As if chicken salad couldn’t get any fresher, and light, this shredded chicken salad recipe is bright, and is a perfect example of what to add to chicken salad for flavor. In this case, it’s pineapple, cilantro, and dijon mustard! There’s no doubt when this recipe is served at a picnic or gathering that it’s going to go… fast!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 1 cup finely diced pineapple, fresh or canned
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced red onions, optional
  • 1/2 cup plain FULL FAT Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 8-12 lettuce leaves
  • 4 croissants, sliced in half

Steps:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, stir the pineapple, celery, almonds, and cilantro. Add your red onion here if you are using them.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt.
  3. Pour the dressing into the large mixing bowl and gently stir to combine.
  4. Carefully fold in the shredded chicken.
  5. To assemble the sandwiches, lay 2-3 pieces of lettuce over the bottom half of each croissant. Spread one-quarter of the chicken salad over the lettuce and top with the other half of the croissant. Enjoy!
READ MORE: Chopped Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing by Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant

Light Chicken Salad

For those looking for a healthy chicken salad recipe, we haven’t forgotten you! Chicken salad is actually pretty easy to lighten up. Instead of heavy mayo, we switched it out for greek yogurt which is higher in protein and lower fat and calorie. When eaten alone or on top of a bed of lettuce, you can feel super good about clean eating and your stomach will feel super full as well!

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 cups of shredded cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup celery diced finely
  • 1 cup apples chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

  1. Add all the ingredients, minus the chicken to a mixing bowl.
  2. Fold in the shredded chicken.
  3. Eat as is, over a bed of lettuce, wrapped in a lettuce wrap, or on a piece of healthy sprouted bread. Enjoy!

Recipes with chicken salad make the perfect lunch, snack, dinner, or party food. With hearty meat, tasty dressing, and an abundance of ways to serve it, no one will ever get sick of eating it. Which recipe is your favorite?

WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out Daily Mom’s 24 Favorite Foods that are Always in Season.


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8 Creative Recipes With Chicken Salad

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Lauren Austin
Lauren Austinhttp://www.financialfundaments.com
She's a full-time Financial Coach, professional designer, and part-time home DIYer. As a business owner of Financial Fundaments, and an awesome mom to 3 young kids, she has a full plate but loves every minute of it. Lauren became a Daily Mom to satisfy her need for writing while helping other moms take control of their financial health.

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