Classic Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How good is homemade chicken salad good for? ›

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.

Add minced fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil, or tarragon. Add fresh grapes for juicy little bursts of flavor. Add cooked pasta to stretch the chicken salad into a larger meal. (You'll have to increase the amount of mayonnaise mixture to cover the pasta.)

Still, even though chicken salad is high in protein, one dish alone isn't super impactful for weight loss. Instead, eating an overall healthy diet that is within your daily calorie needs and is rich in lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables is best for weight loss.

Classic Chicken Salad Ingredients

Mayonnaise: I use light mayo to reduce the calories, but feel free to use your favorite mayo. Celery: Chop celery for some crunch and veggies. Red Onion: Swap red onion for scallions or chives. Chicken Broth: If the chicken salad is a little dry, stir in two tablespoons of broth.

Overcooked or dry chicken

To ensure that your chicken salad tastes the way that it should, you should avoid using overcooked or dry chicken in your recipe. Unfortunately, as we cook chicken, the moisture of the bird slowly evaporates.

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.

Lack of Seasoning: One of the most common reasons for bland chicken salad is insufficient seasoning. Make sure to add enough salt, pepper, and other seasonings like herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. Overcooking the Chicken: Overcooked chicken can become dry and lose its flavor.

Marinating not only adds flavor, but the combination of healthy fat and acid in most recipes also helps tenderize the meat. A good marinade is roughly three parts oil to one part acid, plus salt and other seasonings like spices, crushed garlic, or a little natural sugar.

Choose low-moisture ingredients whenever possible. Select boneless, skinless chicken breasts over thighs, and opt for low-sodium canned chicken when bulkier meats are called for. Soak up the moisture. Try toasting your nuts, fruits, or vegetables before adding them to the salad.

Serve with crackers, on slices of bread or in a wrap, or serve on lettuce as a salad.

How many people will 2 pounds of chicken salad feed? ›

You would typically need around 2 to 2.5 pounds of chicken salad per person, so for 100 people, you'd need approximately 200 to 250 pounds of chicken salad, depending on portion sizes and other dishes you're serving.

Cold meat just doesn't smell or taste as flavorful as it does at room temperature or warmer. This is why chilled chicken, even on salads, isn't as delicious as it could be. Warming that chicken before adding it to your salad would return it to its juicy, satisfying best.

When our Original Chick, Stacy, set out in search of the perfect chicken salad, she found that the only two key components anyone could agree on were chicken and mayonnaise. From there, she developed recipes to please every palate, everything from the traditional to the savory, fruity, and spicy.

Diced chicken is tossed with a creamy dressing and dotted with crisp celery, green onion, and fresh grapes. It's easy, healthy, bright, flavorful, and will make any summer meal a breeze. When I think of chicken salad, I think of summer's own version of comfort food.

Classic Carol – Delicious all-white meat, shredded chicken, finely minced celery, mayo, and our blend of secret seasoning that will keep you coming back for more!

With all of that flavor, you certainly don't want any leftovers to turn bad. Generally, chicken salad will only last three to five days, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). You must store the chicken salad in the fridge to maintain its freshness.

The short answer is to store chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for no more than four days.

If you see mold or any kind of growth on your chicken salad, or it has an off color, it's probably safest to throw it away.

According the FDA guidelines for storing cooked chicken, chicken salad is safe to eat within 3-4 days in the fridge when properly stored. The chicken salad must be stored in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of at least 40˚F (or colder).