Chicken Salad Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for chicken salad? ›

Chicken

Chicken salad / Main ingredient

To prevent your homemade chicken salad from becoming watery, ensure the chicken is fully cooled and consider roasting or grilling instead of boiling to reduce moisture content. Lightly salt watery vegetables like cucumbers and let them sit before adding to the salad to draw out excess water.

How to make chicken salad taste better. The secret ingredient you should be adding to your chicken salad is pickle juice (via Cookies and Cups). You can (and should) add chopped pickles for extra tang and crunch, but if you like to keep things simple, just a splash or two of the pickle juice will do.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture identifies a temperature range between 40°F (4°C) and 140°F (60°C) as the “Danger Zone” for foodborne illnesses. Leaving chicken salad at room temperature for even a few hours allows bacteria to multiply, increasing the risk of food poisoning.

It's tempting to stir up a big batch so that we can enjoy leftovers for a few days. But how long is it safe to keep chicken salad on hand? The short answer is to store chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for no more than four days.

Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper. To the dressing, add the chicken, scallions, celery, dill, and parsley. Toss until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Classic Carol

All white meat, shredded chicken, finely minced celery, mayonnaise, & our secret seasoning.

Undercooked chicken

Although mayonnaise can certainly cause food poisoning, it's not the only chicken salad ingredient that can lead to a bad result. Raw or undercooked chicken is also a common culprit of foodborne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After the chicken has cooled to a tolerable temperature, it's time to shred. If you're fan of chunkier chicken salad, feel free to cube the chicken; if you like a creamy, pasty chicken salad (personally it's not my thing, but all preferences are welcome here!), then feel free to chop that chicken into oblivion.

How to thicken up chicken salad? ›

You can thicken the chicken salad by adding more chicken, almonds, celery, cranberries, or grapes. You might also like to stir in some chopped hardboiled eggs.

Is Chicken Salad Healthy? Definitely — chicken salad is full of lean proteins, minerals, and vitamins. It is low in sugar, carbs, and fiber while high in protein. Therefore, this low-calorie salad is good for your health.

Pile it on toasted bread or croissants with lettuce and tomato for a sandwich, eat it with crackers of your choice, or serve a scoop on lettuce leaves with assorted fruit and fancy crackers for a pretty presentation if you're feeding guests. Or eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon. That works, too.

Chicken salad is best served when it's cold.

So let the mixture chill in the fridge before serving. This also helps all the flavors meld together for the tastiest salad.

Be extra careful with mayo-based foods, such as chicken salad or potato salad. They're only safe to eat for 3 to 4 days after they're prepared.

Once defrosted, a typical chicken salad becomes substantially less appealing. Colors fade and darken, textures become mushier, tastes alter and mellow, and high-moisture ingredients release water during thawing, leaving you with a limp, soggy salad. Mayonnaise poses one of the main challenges when it comes to freezing.

Cooked chicken left out of the fridge over 2 hours is dangerous and is no longer safe to eat – it must be discarded. To reduce exposure to bacteria, it's important to store chicken correctly when it's left out of the fridge.

Eat it on lettuce wraps: Want a lower-carb way to enjoy this chicken salad? Wrap it up in some romaine lettuce leaves for a crunchy, refreshing, and delicious way to eat this recipe! Scoop it with crackers: My favorite way to eat this chicken salad is alongside crackers. It's the classic way to enjoy this recipe!

To keep those leftovers as fresh as possible while it's in the fridge, store the chicken salad in an airtight glass or plastic container. Make sure it has a lid that fully seals so there's no cross-contamination with other foods in the fridge and to keep out moisture, which could lead to bacteria or mold growth.

What are the most common ingredients in salad? ›

A typical salad starts with raw greens, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, mixed greens or arugula. However, you can also add several other raw vegetables. Some popular raw veggie toppings include chopped carrots, onions, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and broccoli.

Most leafy vegetables that can be eaten raw are used: all varieties of lettuce, garden cress and watercress, endives, cabbage, spinach, escarole, romaine (cos), arugula, and fresh herbs. Other vegetables, raw or cooked—tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, beets, and so on—may garnish the green salad.

Nutrients like protein and essential vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, choline, and vitamin B12 are found in many different cuts of chicken.