Description
This Chicken Salad Chick-inspired chicken salad is a creamy, flavorful, and easy-to-make recipe featuring finely shredded cooked chicken breast mixed with a tangy, slightly sweet dressing of mayonnaise, celery, sweet pickle relish, and lemon juice. Perfect for sandwiches, crackers, or salads, this classic Southern-style chicken salad offers a delightful balance of textures and tastes that will satisfy your craving for a deli-style chicken salad at home.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast, finely shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon finely minced celery
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Using either pre-cooked chicken breasts or freshly cooked and cooled chicken, finely shred the chicken. For an extra fine texture similar to Chicken Salad Chick, pulse the chicken in a food processor until finely shredded.
- Combine ingredients: Place the shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, finely minced celery, sweet pickle relish (if using), sugar, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice to the bowl.
- Mix gently: Stir all ingredients together gently until the chicken is fully coated with the creamy dressing and the ingredients are evenly combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the salad’s texture pleasant and light.
- Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld and deepen.
- Serve: Serve the chilled chicken salad as a sandwich filling, atop crackers, or over a bed of fresh lettuce for a light meal or snack.
Notes
- For a lighter, healthier option, substitute half of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt without compromising creaminess.
- To achieve the signature fine texture of Chicken Salad Chick, finely shred the chicken using a food processor instead of chopping by hand.
- This chicken salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste—some prefer more lemon juice or a hint of additional sugar for sweetness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 430 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
