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.
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.:)