Chicken Salad Ingredient Options--the Only Chicken Salad Recipe You'll Ever Need (2024)

• 3 cups Cooked pastured chicken , cut in bite-sized pieces — or I use my pressure cooker to make a big batch of cooked chicken like I explained in this post and just pull it apart. (Then if you make a lot at once, you'll have more for other recipes later, a big time-saver!)

Dressing — play with this to see what you like, but I'll give you the approximate amounts for one batch:

• 3/4 cup Homemade mayo — click that link for my simple 5-minute mayo, but for a variation, especially if you're trying to eat meals with no added sugars (like I was last month), then instead of the sugar and lemon juice or ACV that that recipe calls for, replace it with a good balsamic vinegar! This gives the chicken salad a dreamy flavor.
• 1/2 cup sour cream-- you could use more mayo and leave this out, or vice-versa
• A few cloves of fresh garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1-2 Tablespoons Organic Tamari(fermented soy sauce)
• Add a little milk or cream if it seems dry
• Or instead of mayo, try mixing it up with one of my tasty dressings: It would be yummy mixed with my Homemade Poppyseed Dressing and lots of onions and celery mixed in, or maybe add in a spoonful of my Tangy Herb Salad Dressing to the mayo to give your chicken salad a real flavor punch.
• A small squirt of mustard depending on the taste you're going for

Vegetable options:

• 1 Onion, chopped small
• 2-3 stalks of organic celery, also chopped fairly small
• Finely diced radishes
• Diced cucumbers
• Chopped pickles or relish
• Diced jalapenos for a real zip

Seasoning options — experiment!

• 1 handful Fresh chopped parsley
• 1 handful Fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 dash Curry powder or more to your taste
• 1 dash Tarragon powder or more to your taste
• 1 teaspoon Garlic and/or onion powder (or more)
• Sea salt and plenty of pepper to your taste
• 1 dash Sriracha or more to your taste

Fruit options:

• Organic raisins
• Sliced or chopped dried apricots
• Organic dried cranberries
• Organic grapes, cut in half
• Pineapple bits or chunks, maybe with a little of the pineapple juice!
• Organic apples chopped up small, these probably won't be as good the next day and may get brown, so you may not want to use this fruit if you're expecting there to be leftovers, or serve them on the side.
• Organic oranges, or mandarin oranges/clementines, cut into halves or thirds.

Nut options:

• Crispy pecans
• Crispy almonds
• Pistachios
• Cashews-- keep in mind that nuts may get soggy, so again, if you expect there to be leftovers, just serve these on the side.

• Make the dressing first and mix well–taste test to see what it needs. There is no right or wrong in chicken salad. Be adventurous and try all sorts of things to change it up. Add in the rest and stir it all together. Taste test more, isn't that gooood?

• Serve with asourdough bun.Or if you make your own pita bread or can find some at the store without scary ingredients, those are good, too!

• Tip: spread some butter on the buns and toast them before assembling–it gives the sandwich an extra tasty crunch.

• Or just serve on a bed of greens or in a crispy romaine lettuce wrap for a filling and satisfying grain-free dish!

• This makes a medium sized bowl or so of chicken salad, or more if you use a lot of fruit, so you may want to make extra if you're planning on leftovers!

• These sandwiches would be tasty with myHomemade Potato Chips. In a hurry?These potato chipsare really good, without all the nasty ingredients in grocery store chips.