Tender bites of chicken are tossed in a simply seasoned, creamy dressing with bits of crunchy celery in this Classic Chicken Salad recipe.
I crave Chicken Salad Sandwiches on a regular basis. It’s such a familiar, nostalgic flavor for me that it’s my go-to when I need a little soothing during a busy week. I’m talking old-school, Classic Chicken Salad with no fancy add-ins.
It’s a happy day when I have a batch of it in my fridge at lunch time and it’s spot-on perfect when I’ve got a ton going on and need a simple choice for dinner.
Last night after a long, mind-numbing day of working on taxes (ugh!) I mixed up a batch of this easy Chicken Salad for sandwiches and a pot of my Broccoli Cheese Soup and I had satisfying, delicious meal on the table in under 45 minutes. If you skip the soup you can whip this recipe up in a mere 10 minutes!
Sometimes I’m in the mood for a less traditional variety like my Crunchy Sweet Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Cranberry Almond Poppy Seed Chicken Salad, or Pesto Chicken Salad. But, most often this Classic Chicken Salad is the one I make to hit that spot!
It’s perfect in it’s simplicity.
The Ingredient List
- Cooked, chopped chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
- Mayonnaise
- Celery
- Onion powder
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
This is one more recipe to add to your rotisserie chicken recipe collection. Instead of shredding the meat, I like to pull it off the bone in chunks and then chop it for a slightly different consistency to this Chicken Salad then you would get with shredded meat. It’s a small difference but that’s how I like it.
You can use your own fully-cooked chicken but the mighty Costco rotisserie chicken makes this recipe so effortless and very economical.
There’s no need to mix the dressing ingredients separately, just throw everything into a big mixing bowl and mix it up.
The dressing is simple but surprisingly flavorful. A touch of onion powder, salt, and pepper are all you need to add with the mayonnaise. A little fresh lemon juice and fresh parsley to brighten it up. If you want to lighten this recipe up quite a bit you can substitute light mayonnaise but I have to say, it’s really tasty with the real stuff.
How to Serve Classic Chicken Salad
When making sandwiches I suggest choosing a sturdy sliced bread like sourdough or a whole grain sandwich bread. Load up your sandwiches with the toppings you love – lettuce, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion and my life is not complete without a couple of bread and butter pickles.
Or skip the bread altogether and mound this Chicken Salad on leafy greens with lots of fresh veggies for a wholesome meal.
Classic Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups finely chopped cooked chicken, (I use rotisserie chicken – Costco baby!)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt,, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,, or to taste
- 12 slices sturdy sliced bread,, like sourdough or whole-grain bread
Optional Toppings
- leafy greens
- sliced tomatoes
- thinly sliced red onion
- pickles
Instructions
- Add chicken, mayonnaise, celery, parsley, lemon juice, onion powder, sea salt, and pepper to a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine well. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Assemble sandwiches on bread, adding any toppings of choice.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best if consumed within a day or two.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
I love this simple yet oh so tasty. Made as exactly as written and even my picky partner loves it. Thank you for such an easy tasty sandwich and cracker topper!!! Will make again and again.
Will regular parsley work or is it better to leave it if if I don’t have Italian parsley?
Yes, you can substitute curly parsley. It’s not quite as flavorful but I would still use it instead of leaving it out altogether. Hope it turns out great for you!
I don’t have the parsley, ok to leave it out or do you recommend a substitute?
It’s fine to leave it out.
Wow this is so great Valerie! My husband absolutely loves it and regularly requests it. Thank you for such a simple classic recipe and you’re right the Costco chicken makes it extra delicious. It’s the perfect classic chicken salad.
This looks so yum! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I made this today and omg It came out so good! So simple and delicious. I used canned chicken from Costco though because I didn’t have chicken. So yummy and I did put tomatoes and onions as the toppings and instead of pickles( mine froze in the fridge :/) I used a little bit of relish. Definitely making this again and with the cooked chicken from Costco this time !
Hi Leticia. Yes, it works great with canned chicken in a pinch. So glad it worked out well for you and thanks so much for your comment.:)