Food and Recipes Meat Chicken Homemade Chicken Salad 4.6 (10) 8 Reviews A classic chicken salad recipe, fit for lunches, teas, or afternoon snacks. By Karen Schroeder-Rankin Karen Schroeder-Rankin Karen Rankin is a chef, recipe developer, and food stylist with over 25 years experience cooking, developing recipes, styling food, and entertaining guests at her table and in restaurants. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 20, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Servings: 4 to 6 If you don’t know how to make Chicken Salad, you're in a safe space. Some folks may scoff at you, or try to take away your Southern card, but not us! We understand that everyone wasn’t born a great cook; that we all didn’t grow up with the profound blessing of a food-loving grandmother who passed down all her secrets, tips, and time-tested recipes. In this age of grocery store deli convenience and entire restaurant chains devoted to chicken salad, it’s no wonder that plenty of folks don’t know how to make a proper chicken salad at home. So without further ado, I’m hopping off my soapbox and getting to the good stuff: how to make chicken salad from scratch, the way our grandmothers did. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox How To Make Homemade Chicken Salad Step 1: Gather your ingredients There’s a million ways to make chicken salad—this recipe keeps it pretty classic so you can jazz it up to suit your taste. Chicken: Get the best bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts you can; they’re cheaper than boneless-skinless and have more flavor. Chicken broth: To cook the chicken in for extra chicken-y goodness. Thyme: To flavor the chicken broth while boiling. Celery: For crunch. Lemon juice: To brighten up the chicken salad dressing. Salt and pepper: To finalize the flavor for the chicken salad. Mayonnaise: Grab your favorite mayonnaise to bind everything together. Because in the South, it’s not a salad unless mayonnaise is invited to the party, right? Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Step 2: Cook that chicken Short on time? Yes, you can make this recipe with rotisserie chicken. But remember—we’re going old-school grandmother here, and scratch-made is always tastier. Simmering the breasts in this thyme-infused broth achieves two goals. First, it ensures the chicken is tender, moist, and flavorful throughout. Second, it yields a super chicken-y (yes, that’s a made-up word) homemade chicken stock that you can stash in the fridge or freezer to use as the base of a soup or to take your Thanksgiving dressing to the next level. Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Step 3: Fork it over After the chicken has cooled to a tolerable temperature, it’s time to shred. If you’re fan of chunkier chicken salad, feel free to cube the chicken; if you like a creamy, pasty chicken salad (personally it’s not my thing, but all preferences are welcome here!), then feel free to chop that chicken into oblivion. For this recipe, we use two forks to shred the tender cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can also give it a little chop if any of the shreds are prohibitively long. Step 4: Mix it up Now it’s time to grab your favorite bowl and bring it all together. Pause: Do you have a “favorite” mixing bowl that you use for most of your cooking? I have a go-to medium-sized ceramic bowl that isn’t anything special; it’s just fairly lightweight and cooperates with me most times. It’s my trusty workhorse. If you don’t have one, be on the lookout—it makes cooking more fun to have a “buddy.” Anyhoo…back to this chicken salad we’re making. Stir everything together. That’s it! Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Step 5: Season to taste Flavor is such a personal preference, so be sure to taste a bite and adjust the seasoning as needed. Different mayonnaise brands vary in savory-ness and tartness; add more salt or lemon juice if you like. I like to pile on the pepper, but that’s just me. You can also add halved grapes, or chopped toasted pecans, or, if you’re like my mom, maybe a little bit of finely diced onion. Whatever floats your boat is exactly what makes the perfect chicken salad. Chicken Salad With Grapes And Pecans Don't forget the crackers! Whether you serve it on a bed of lettuce or with a side of fruit, there’s one thing you must include to enjoy the full chicken salad experience—crackers! While you can definitely make your own (these piecrust crackers are easy and impressive), your local grocery store has a plethora of options for any budget. Whether you love a buttery Ritz (but are they too crumbly?), a plain-Jane saltine (they sure are sturdy!), a fancy pepper-studded water cracker (does anyone else find them super bland?), or a gourmet seed-and-nut crisp (but seriously, who wants to pay $9 for 12 crackers, y’all?), crackers are an absolute MUST. Don’t be sad if you’re on the gluten-free team—there are loads of delicious celiac-friendly crackers that I would gladly get kicked out of bed for eating. So that’s all you need to know to make a knockout chicken salad. Whether you’re gathering with the girls or spending your lunch hour at your desk, this versatile recipe will satisfy your cravings for the South’s favorite salad. How To Store Homemade Chicken Salad If you made this recipe to have leftovers for lunch—and you probably did—know that it's safe to store homemade chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. Just stir the chicken salad before spooning onto your plate, lettuce, or crackers. More Chicken Salad Recipes You'll Love If you're looking to mix up your chicken salad repertoire, consider one of these: Curry Chicken Salad Chicken Salad With Grapes And Pecans Old-Fashioned Southern Chicken Salad Tarragon Chicken Salad Cranberry Chicken Salad Editorial contributions by Josh Miller. Ingredients 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3 sprigs thyme 1 1/2 cups chopped celery 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup high quality mayonnaise, such as Duke's Directions Boil chicken: Place chicken breasts in a large Dutch oven, then pour chicken broth over them and add thyme sprigs. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, and cook, 15 minutes, or until chicken is done and registers 160°F on a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the breast meat. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Shred chicken: Remove chicken breasts from broth and reserve broth for another use. Broth can be transferred to containers and frozen, if desired. Place chicken breasts on a work surface and remove, then discard skin and bones. Meat will shred easily with fingers, as it should be very tender. You will have 5-6 cups of shredded chicken. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make dressing: In a medium bowl, combine celery, lemon juice, salt, pepper and mayonnaise; stir to blend. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add shredded chicken to bowl and fold into mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled and serve as desired. Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Frequently Asked Questions What is chicken salad dressing made of? Most chicken salad dressings are a combination of mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The rest of the flavor for this dish comes from ingredients like celery and fresh herbs. Rate It Print Additional reporting by Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. learn more