Homemade Chicken Salad Recipe – a simple and delicious classic! Made with tender chicken, creamy mayo, crunchy celery, a splash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or served with crackers. Great for meal prep, potlucks, or an easy lunch!
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Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
This Homemade Chicken Salad is a staple at our house. It’s made with tender chicken, mayo, crunchy celery, and a splash of lemon juice to brighten everything up. A little salt and pepper is all it needs to bring it all together. It’s simple, but seriously full of flavor. Perfect on a sandwich, piled onto crackers, or straight out of the fridge with a fork—it never disappoints.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Salad
This dish is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Place bone-in chicken breasts in a large pot or Dutch oven. Pour chicken broth over the chicken and bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. Remove the chicken from the pot and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat with two forks.
In a medium bowl, stir together chopped celery, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mayonnaise. Add shredded chicken and stir to combine—season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I use bone-in chicken breasts in this recipe. You can substitute bone-in chicken thighs.
- To cut down on prep time, you can use any cooked chicken you have on hand.
- Rotisserie chicken will work great in this dish.
- Variations/Additions:
- red onions
- grapes
- diced apples
- nuts
- green onion
- dried cranberries
- Substitute Greek Yogurt for lower calories.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Classic Chicken Salad Recipe
Homemade chicken salad is a classic that’s super versatile, so you’ve got plenty of tasty options to round out the meal.
- Serve it on a croissant, in a wrap, or over a bed of lettuce with a side of fresh fruit like grapes, watermelon, or apple slices to keep things light and refreshing.
- A handful of kettle chips or some buttery crackers adds the perfect salty crunch.
- For something a little heartier, pair it with a cup of soup—tomato basil or creamy potato works great.
- It’s also right at home next to pasta salad, deviled eggs, or a crisp veggie tray if you’re putting together a picnic or potluck spread.
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Homemade Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 people
Homemade Chicken Salad Recipe – a simple and delicious classic! Made with tender chicken, creamy mayo, crunchy celery, a splash of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or served with crackers. Great for meal prep, potlucks, or an easy lunch!
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1½ cups chopped celery
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup mayonnaise
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Place bone-in chicken breasts in a large pot or Dutch oven. Pour chicken broth over the chicken and bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 15 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. Remove the chicken from the pot and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat with two forks and set aside to cool.
-
In a medium bowl, stir together chopped celery, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mayonnaise. Add shredded chicken and stir to combine – season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can substitute any cooked, chopped chicken.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Steph
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Pin This Recipe
