Southern CHICKEN SALAD Recipe with Options
This is an extremely simple Southern chicken salad recipe that is a great combination of flavors you can pull together fast. It’s perfect for either a planned meal, sandwiches, or good use for leftover chicken. This is part of our Chicken, Main Dishes, Sandwiches, Salads, & Game Day Categories. Also, it’s shown in our Good Super Bowl Food Ideas post.
Recipe for Southern Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken breasts cooked & cubed (any chicken meat)
- 4 stalks celery diced (about 1â…“ cups)
- 1 cup carrots chopped small
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the boneless chicken breasts to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Set back to low temp and cover. Continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes. Internal temp should be about 165°F.2 lbs Chicken breasts
- Drain the chicken and expedite the cooling by running cold water over it. When cool enough to handle, cut it up into small cubical pieces. Add it into a mixing bowl.
- Dice up the remaining vegetables and add them and the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the chicken.4 stalks celery, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp lemon juice, 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated, 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
- Mix thoroughly with a large spoon and serve. Can be just a salad with crackers or just put on bread as a sandwich.
Nutrition
How To Make Chicken Salad Recipe EASY & FAST
It’s very easy to make chicken salad. Just follow these 3 FAST steps.
Step 1. Prepare your chicken. Cook it or use leftover cooked chicken. Then, cut the chicken into small pieces or cubes. Toss the chicken bits into a large mixing bowl.
Step 2. Cutup the celery and carrots. Then, toss them into the bowl of chicken. Finally, add in the remaining ingredients.
Step 3. Stir up the ingredients in the mixing bowl with a large spoon. Ensure everything is coated well. Then, it’s ready to store or serve!
What Kind of Chicken for Southern Chicken Salad?
You can use all kinds of chicken, even leftover chicken for chicken salad. Here are some ideas.
- Leftover fried chicken. Remove it from the bones and even mix in some dark meat.
- Chicken nuggets, tenders, or fingers that are cutup is how you make crispy chicken salad.
- Rotisserie chicken
- Grilled chicken
- Barbecued chicken is good if you rinse off the BBQ sauce over some tap water.
- Store bought cubed chicken
- Deli chicken for sandwiches, cut up into pieces
- Boiled chicken
- Canned chicken, drained
Also, for learning ways to cook chicken fast, read this article 5 Ways to Cook Chicken Quickly.
Serving Chicken Salad Variations
While the main recipe is a good basic one, keep reading to see how to change it up for some very different appetites.
Chicken Salad with Grapes
Add in some seedless grapes, sliced in half. But, be sure to leave out the Parmesan cheese.
Add in some seedless grapes. But, cut them in half, lengthwise first. Also, optionally, toss in some chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or slivered almonds.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Just cutup some grilled chicken. Then, instead of mayo, add in some Caesar salad dressing. But, only add in enough to coat everything.
Use some grilled chicken and have a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad for a change.
Ranch Chicken Salad
Add in 1/2 cup of Ranch dressing cut the mayonnaise in half. You’ll have a great Ranch chicken salad for a change of taste.
Chicken BLT Salad
Make it as a chicken BLT salad for an incredible set of flavors. Just add in about 6 strips of cooked and crumpled bacon. However, leave out the Parmesan cheese on this one. Also, to spice it up a notch, serve it with some garlic bread on the side or as a sandwich using Texas Toast!
Cajun Chicken Salad
For a super Louisiana flair, add in 2 heaping tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. This gives a good spicy kick but, again, leave out the Parmesan cheese.
Healthy Chicken Salad Without Mayo?
So, some people will make this chicken salad recipe and change out the mayo for plain yogurt. However, if you do, consider adding a little bit of salt to improve the taste.
What To Serve With Chicken Salad as Sides
There are quite a few sides you can serve with chicken salad. Here are some ideas that go well with it.
- Serve this chicken salad on top of some lettuce leaves along with salad dressing.
- Or, serve it as a sandwich in bread slices, toast, soft tortilla wrap, or on a sliced open croissant.
- French fries, onion rings, pan fried potato slices, fried mushrooms, potato chips
- Baked potatoes or loaded baked potatoes
- Mac n Cheese
- Skillet potatoes with green beans
- Soup
- Deviled eggs
- Cornbread muffins
- Garlic bread
- Chicken salad on sub rolls
- Orange sections
Chicken salad sandwiches go well simply with chips on the side. Also, add in some orange sections as a healthy fruit side.
Chicken Salad Nutrition Info
Chicken salad nutrition info is shown in the <Print Recipe> option.
How Many Calories in Chicken Salad?
There are about 340 calories in chicken salad, based on this homemade recipe. Also, there are about 3 grams of carbs. Overall, the healthiest ingredients are the chicken, celery, and carrots.
Storing Southern Chicken Salad
Store chicken salad in the fridge or freezer. So, keep reading to see the details for each.
How Long Does Chicken Salad Last?
This homemade chicken salad lasts about 5-7 days in the fridge. Also, the inclusion of the lemon juice can be helpful in extending foods shelf life in the fridge. However, if you add things with a shorter life, like hard boiled eggs, cut it back to 3 days for food safety.
Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?
Yes, you can freeze chicken salad. However, be careful about how you thaw it out. Overall, it’s safer to thaw it out overnight in the fridge. Also, the quality won’t be quite the same. That is, it won’t be as crunchy. Also, freezing anything with mayo doesn’t taste as good but it can still work okay. However, you might have to add a small amount of mayo to “freshen” it up.
Conclusion of Recipe for Southern Chicken Salad
Overall, this Southern chicken salad recipe is great for a good number of options. It can be as a main course, on a sandwich bun, on a sub, and so on. So, what are you waiting for? Make this super chicken salad recipe and tell me about it. Just leave a comment on how it went and what you did.
Finally, a chicken salad that’s not all mushy. This tasted really fresh too!