This is the BEST chicken salad recipe EVER! There is no way to describe how good this chicken salad is – you will have to make it and see. Believe me when I say this chicken salad is simply delicious.
This is probably the best dish Hubby has ever made, and that is really saying something! My husband is an excellent cook with some really creative ideas!
Chicken Salad Recipe
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Hubby has made this recipe hundreds of times. It is one of my favorite recipes, and I hope it will become a new favorite of yours!
I list the weight for this one as he finds it easier to do the dressing for this creamy chicken salad recipe by weight on a kitchen scale. Because people had asked, he converted to the traditional cup measurement for me. I list both below.
This is going to become one of your favorite chicken salad recipes. Don’t believe me? Read the comment section.
This is not a simple recipe, but it is easy to make. By that I mean there are wonderful flavors that come together between the dressing and the chicken salad ingredients making it like no other chicken salad recipe you have ever eaten – it really is next level and not a classic chicken salad recipe.
This is one of my favorite cold salads; a delicious recipe at any time of the year.
Tips and variations for making this delicious chicken salad recipe:
● Hubby recently bought a sous vide cooker (because we needed another kitchen gadget in our house *insert eye roll*) and made the chicken for this recipe with the sous vide cooker instead of making poached chicken. The chicken turned out very soft, very tender, and the chicken salad was still excellent. I prefer the poached chicken breasts but if you have a sous vide cooker and make your cooked chicken that way, it works too! You can make the chicken ahead of time.
● We use dried dill weed. Use three times as much fresh dill weed if you prefer fresh.
● I have never used miracle whip in this recipe and do not recommend it.
● I have never used honey mustard instead of Dijon mustard in this recipe and do not recommend it.
● I have not used rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, a whole chicken, or chicken thighs on this chicken, and do not recommend any of them. If you prefer dark meat to white meat, you may want to try poaching boneless chicken thighs. I have not done so myself, however.
● There are no red grapes, green grapes, or dried cranberries in this recipe. I have never added any but from comments on this recipe on Pinterest, I’ve had people say that they have added grapes and liked it. Remember that they will make this recipe sweeter.
● We have used plain sunflower seeds and honey sunflower seeds in this recipe many times. The honey flavored gives a touch more “sweet”, both are excellent choices.
● People have used this inside a buttery croissant, on a bed of lettuce (lettuce cups), or a bed of greens, or homemade chicken salad sandwiches.
● All the basic ingredients for this chicken salad recipe should be easily found at your local grocery store.
● Refrigerate all leftover chicken salad in an airtight container.
If you are looking for more chicken recipes, try these:
● Chicken Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
● Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Kabobs Recipe
● Easy Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
Chicken Salad Recipe Dressing Ingredients:
● 1 cup Mayonnaise (6oz by scale weight)
● ½ cup Sour Cream (4oz by scale weight)
● 2 TBSP Dijon Mustard (1oz by scale weight)
● 1 TBSP Dill Weed
● 2 tsp Sugar
● ½ tsp White Pepper
● 5 tsp Lemon Juice
Salad Ingredients:
● 3 cups chopped Poached Chicken
● 1 cup finely chopped Celery
● 4 TBSP finely chopped Green Onions
● ½ cup shelled Sunflower Seeds
Chicken Salad Mise en Place:
● Two Bowls (one small, one large)
● Cutting Board
● Knife
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons
● Spatula or Spoon
Chicken Salad Recipe Salad Directions:
● Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill weed, sugar, white pepper, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients together.
● Cut your cool, poached chicken into bite-sized, small pieces.
● Add all salad ingredients (poached chicken, celery, green onions, and sunflower seeds) to the mixed dressing.
● Mix together well.
● Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Chicken Salad Recipe
This is the BEST chicken salad recipe EVER! There is no way to describe how good this chicken salad is – you will have to make it and see. Believe me when I say this chicken salad is simply delicious.
Ingredients
- Chicken Salad Recipe Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise (6oz by scale weight)
- ½ cup Sour Cream (4oz by scale weight)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard (1oz by scale weight)
- 1 tablespoon Dill Weed
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- ½ teaspoon White Pepper
- 5 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- Salad Ingredients:
- 3 cups chopped Poached Chicken
- 1 cup finely chopped stalk Celery
- 4 tablespoon finely chopped Green Onions
- ½ cup shelled Sunflower Seeds
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dill weed, sugar, white pepper, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients together.
- Cut your cool, poached chicken into bite-size, small pieces.
- Add all salad ingredients (poached chicken, celery, green onions, and sunflower seeds) to the mixed dressing.
- Mix together well.
- Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Notes
Here is my poached chicken recipe. It makes a difference to this recipe! I highly advise using poached chicken.
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DOWAN Ceramic Mixing Bowls for Kitchen, Size 4.25/2/0.5 Qt Large Serving Bowl Set, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe, Sturdy & No Scratch, Nesting Bowls for Space Saving, 3-Piece Set, Blue
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 633Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 1807mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 25g
Note: for exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information provided is simply a guideline.
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McKenzie says
mmmmm I love chicken salad and this one looks delicious! Im gonna have to try it 🙂
FABBY says
Wow! This sounds fabulous! Thanks for the recipe. Have a good week.
FABBY
andi winslow says
Looks so good, I have printed the recipe and hopefully will be making this soon…………….Thank you andi
A Lived in Home says
This looks so yummy! I’m a total sucker for a good chicken salad. I would love for you to come link up to my party and follow along! alivedinhome.blogspot.com
andi winslow says
Hi Ann Just stopping in to let you know that I have made and posted on my blog thewednesdaybaker.blogspot.com We both enjoyed this as a lunch………….and thank you for a wonderful recipe. Have a great long weekend Andi
Colleen says
How many servings was this?
Ann says
Hmmm that is a good question, Colleen. We make this all the time and for two people we probably eat 10-12 servings. BUT, we are adults.
Ann
Janien says
Made this today & I love it! Made exactly as written except I did use less dill & it’s still great!
Ann says
I am glad you enjoyed it, @Janien. We love it so much, Hubby makes it at least once per month!
Ann
Melvina says
May I ask how many carbs are in this? I’m on a low carb diet, and am looking for a good chicken salad recipe that I can eat with the family. Thank you.
Ann says
I have no idea, Melvina. If you have access to a carb convertor, plug in the ingredients and see what it says.
Ann
Millie says
Go to livestron.;com ; they have a tool for putting in recipes and getting the nutritional infor including carbs and calories. Actually about the only carbs in this are in the mayo and a few in the sour cream so not much
Susan says
I’ve lived low carb for 20 years. This recipe is a good one.. you could control the fat content but there’s more sugar in low-fat items.
Pam @ The Birch Cottage says
I’ve never made chicken salad with dill weed or sunflower seeds. I could just imagine the flavor the dill weed adds and the nice subtle crunch from the sunflower seeds! Thanks for sharing on The Living with Style Linky Party!
Laurie says
Ann, I can’t wait to try your recipe! Pinning! Thank you for sharing with us at Brag About It!
~Laurie
celeste wood says
okay, I just made this recipe, I even poached the chicken according to the recipe and I must tell you without a doubt this is a fantastic Chicken Salad! It now sits in the fridge waiting for the 2 hours to blend all those flavors together but I cheated! I already tasted it and it is marvelous! in 2 hours my taste buds will be even happier! lol, thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I will continue to make my chicken salad this way from now on!
Ann says
Celeste I am so glad you liked it! I think the poached chicken is the key, although the dill weed is the “secret” ingredient.
Ann
celeste wood says
this really is the best chicken salad ever! My 19 year old son ate almost every bit of it! His Twin was able to make a sandwich and I sampled it with some crackers, this is so delicious I am in the process of making it again!Thanks so much for such a fabulous recipe!
Ann says
I am so glad you all enjoyed it, Celeste!
Ann
Phil says
I made this once already and I loved the flavor. I wasn’t sure if you used fresh or dried dill, so I did cut back on that since I used dried. Just curious which you normally use?
Ann says
Hi Phil,
We use dried normally. It is a lot of dill, but (IMO) that is what really makes this chicken salad so good – well that and the poached chicken.
Ann
Karen says
I made as directed, without a doubt, absolutely outstanding. In the future, I will try various substitutes/alterations for the mayo & sour cream (because I wanted to devour all of it with less calories). Hubby said “this is by far the best you’ve ever made (he lives to eat and I eat to live :o))LOL
Ann says
I am so glad you and your Hubby liked it, Karen.
To me, this is the best dish my husband has ever made – and that is really saying something (my husband is an excellent cook).
Ann
Patty says
Made this today. Did Not use the dill, we are not fans of dill, or the sunflower seeds, I didn’t have any. It was still great! I love the dressing. i used only about half of the dressing . I will use the other half with some tuna. I think it will taste amazing. Thank you for this !
Nancy says
Could you revert the chicken back to pound/ounces? I’m not good at determining how many breasts to use for 3 cups and it obviously depends on the size of the breasts.
Kathy says
I made this as recipe instructs. Loved it. Amazing flavor. Thanks for sharing
Mashelle says
This was awesomely awesome…. I was alittle scared with sour cream…..but Omgoodness!!!!!! My favorite!
Ann says
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Ann
Susan says
I make this at least once a month!! Awesome recipe!!
Laurie says
I’ve made it several times and it is absolutely delish. I am on a low carb diet and replace the sugar with Erythritol (per taste) and it is so good I crave it!
Erma Beckford says
I made this for diner tonight. I didn’t have any grapes, so I cut up an apple and it was still good. My husband said that it would be good with some walnuts too.
Brenda Wheeley says
I recently made this to serve on cocktail croissants at a baby shower. It was delicious and I will definitely make it a permanent recipe in my collection. I did commit the sunflower seeds since I did not know if some of the shower guests might have nut allergies. When I make this for my familyI will definitely include them. As another person mentioned in their comment, I did not use all the dressing.
Tate Williamson says
Made this today. Made as directed except I substituted some chopped dill pickle for the dill, as I was out. This is absolutely the best chicken salad I have ever tasted. My Mother stopped over and I asked her to taste it, she absolutely detests chicken, she tasted a spoonful on a cracker and she was hooked. I can honestly say that it was only one in a handful of times that I have ever seen her eat chicken! She took a bowl home with her, said she plans on having it for dinner tonight on a heated sub roll. Thanks for a wonderful recipe that I will be using as my go-to.
Ann says
I an so glad you (and your chicken-hating Mother!) liked it, Tate!
Ann
Allyssa says
Thanks a bunch for this chicken salad recipe! Fam really loves it and it’s super easy to make! Will surely have this again, well done!
Dorothy says
I made the poached chicken this afternoon, chilled it, just finished chopping it. Can I freeze it in food saver bags and prepare the dressing and chicken salad 3 days from now? Of course, defrost to room temperature before preparing. Just trying to get ahead of weekend trip. Appreciate your feedback. Look forward to sharing your recipe with family. Can’t wait to taste it.
Thanks, Dorothy
Ann says
Yes, you can, Dorothy. Just make sure the defrosted, cut poached chicken is not really wet when when add it to the ingredients to make the chicken salad. Since it needed to be dry before you foodsavered it, there shouldn’t be a “wet” problem, but just in case…
Have a great trip!
Ann
mel says
This was amazing; my daughter thought it was from a restaurant. I was worried the dill would be too much but it was so, so good! We skipped the sunflower seeds b/c we didn’t have any. Definitely the best chicken salad recipe ever. My daughter, the chicken salad connoisseur certainly thought so!
Ann says
I am so glad you all liked it, Mel!
Ann
Dorothea says
My husband found this recipe and made it exactly as written. What an amazing flavor. We have had it 2 times in one week that’s how good it is. Thank you so much for this salad
Ann says
I am so happy you liked it, Dorothea!
Ann