If you love cold salads as much as we do, be sure to check out some of our other favorites like Curried Chicken Salad, BLT Pasta Salad, Tex-Mex Doritos Taco Salad, Zucchini Salad, and Grilled Corn Summer Salad. We recently had a gathering at our house where we served these chicken salad sandwiches to 60 family and friends who came into town for our daughter’s baptism. Clara just turned eight, which is a big deal in our family because one of our beliefs is that children are old enough by that age to understand the covenant that they are making at baptism. Which is why we wait, rather than baptizing our children as infants. I figured this easy chicken salad recipe would be perfect for the occasion since we could make it in advance (I feel like the flavor is always better the second day anyway!) and just assemble the morning of. Plus, I had three of my nieces (ages 9, 7, and 6) in town, so between them and my two girls (ages 8 and 5) I had some pretty fantastic helpers on hand to make a quadruple batch of this chicken salad with grapes and almonds. The girls each had a cutting board and knives and after some knife safety tips they went to work slicing grapes in half and chopping celery for me, then adding it to the biggest mixing bowl I have (and even then I had to split the batch between my two largest bowls to make it work). I chopped the chicken and prepped the dressing and we all had a lovely afternoon in the kitchen together! We rounded out the party menu with a fruit & cheese platter that my amazing friend Blake kept refilled, multigrain chips, lots of fruit and fizzy drinks, and Clara’s raspberry chocolate chunk cookies for dessert.
The Best Chicken Salad Recipe for Sandwiches
I remember this chicken salad recipe being one of my favorites when I was growing up. I mix it up every now and then by adding apples or using pecans, but most often I make chicken salad the same way my mom did; with celery and red grapes in it (but you could use green if you prefer). I just love the crunch of the celery and the bursts of sweetness from the grapes! Be sure that the grapes you are using are crunchy because soft grapes are less than ideal for the best chicken salad. I’ll let you in on my dirty little secret: I always try a grape at the store before I buy them. Is that bad? I just hate coming home only to realize that the grapes are bitter or soft because I really, really only like firm grapes! Also, the thing that I think sets my chicken salad apart from other recipes is the fresh dill. I absolutely love it and when we served these at the party I had so many people comment on how much they liked the fresh dill in my chicken salad recipe. This is one of my go-to summer meals because it’s cool and refreshing, AND you can make one big batch and it will stay good in the fridge for 5 days. Which means less time cooking and more time at the pool having fun. It’s perfect for picnics as well and makes such a nice change from regular lunch meat or boring PB&J’s that my kids want every. single. day. Some of my other favorite summer meals are BLT pasta salad, Doritos taco salad, grilled veggie quesadillas, and bbq chicken cobb salad. All of them are fairly quick and easy and don’t leave you feeling heavy and sluggish on hot days.
How to prep chicken for this Chicken Salad Recipe
I prefer a rough chop on my chicken for chicken salad sandwiches, but some people prefer the meat to be shredded. Either approach works so go with what you like best! Also, when it comes to what chicken to use for this recipe, you have a few options.
Best Chicken Salad Recipe ingredients
cooked chicken celery grapes green onions almonds mayonnaise sour cream fresh dill lemon juice salt & pepper
How to make this Chicken Salad Recipe
If making chicken salad sandwiches, slice each croissant in half and layer a piece of green leaf lettuce and a scoop of chicken salad on each roll. Or you can just use regular bread. I think it’s especially good with a whole grain bread with seeds on the crust. Or serve the chicken salad over a bed of mixed greens with sliced tomato and avocado.
Variations for this Recipe: Chicken Salad
One of the great things about chicken salad and why I love this recipe so much is that it is easily customizable. You can change it with the seasons or just use ingredients you have on hand. Sometimes I change things up and make chicken salad with apples or cranberries instead of with grapes, especially in the fall. Or instead of making my chicken salad with sliced almonds, which I don’t always have on hand, I will use chopped pecans. And of course you can omit the nuts altogether if you have food allergies or just don’t care for nuts in your chicken salad. Use chopped red onions instead of green onions. You could also lighten up the chicken salad a bit by replacing part of the mayonnaise and sour cream called for in the recipe with Greek yogurt. I wouldn’t replace all of it because that would significantly affect the taste of the final chicken salad, but replacing half of the mayonnaise works pretty well for a healthy chicken salad recipe. Add diced avocado. Because honestly, what isn’t better with a little avocado?
Creative ways to serve Chicken Salad
Traditionally, when chicken salad is being served it’s between two slices of bread. But it can be enjoyed in many different ways! We love getting nice big romaine lettuce leaves and stuffing it with the best chicken salad. It makes a nice finger food while also creating a delicious snack. You can also serve it on top of crackers, in a wrap, or in a pita. Make a chicken melt or make a quesadilla with the chicken salad. Mix it up with lettuce and make an actual salad with it! Use it as a dip, put it in an omelet, and eat it with avocado. So many fun ways to enjoy this amazing chicken salad!
What goes with Chicken Salad?
With the protein in the chicken salad, I would treat this as more of a main dish than a side dish. I do love eating it with a nice buttery croissant and a side of potato chips. Such a good sweet and salty combo. But a side salad or even a pasta salad with chopped fruit would be great. A light soup, giant pickle spears, roasted red potatoes, jello salad, a cheese or veggie platter would be excellent choices as well!
How to store the Best Chicken Salad
Store the chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
How long is homemade chicken salad good?
For the best quality of chicken, consume within four days! This is the recommendation from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. You don’t want to second guess any type of meat, fish, or chicken. If in doubt, throw it out!
More Sandwich Recipes You’ll Love
Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwiches Grilled Caprese Panini Cubanos [Cuban Sandwiches] Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich with Kneaders Sauce Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches Grilled Cajun Chicken Sandwiches Grilled Summer Veggie Quesadilla Chicken Parmesan Sliders or see my salad recipes here!
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