Summer is officially here and that means its time to break out the lighter recipes! Today I’m going to share my simple chicken salad recipe. It’s great for picnics, beach trips, or even just a regular lunch.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup diced apples
- 1/4 cup relish
- 1 diced celery stalk
- 1/4 cup diced walnuts
- salt and pepper
How To Make Chicken Salad
While any shredded chicken will do, the key to making a really good chicken salad is quality chicken. So as an added bonus, I’m going to share how I make my shredded chicken! You will need a bone-in chicken breast, a chicken thigh or leg quarter, carrots, celery, onion, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 bay leaf, a couple of thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper.
A lot of people only use white meat for their chicken salad, but I like the added flavor the dark meat brings. Using bone-in chicken also creates a great broth that can be used in other recipes!
Dice up the carrots, celery, and onion. Next, place both pieces of chicken into a stockpot and cover with water. Add your veggies and spices. When everything is ready, place on a medium-high burner. As soon as the water starts to bubble turn the heat down to medium. We want a light simmer, not a rolling boil.
Cook the chicken all the way through. It should take between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Once it is done, take the chicken out and let it cook. The broth is great to use for numerous other recipes, so I recommend straining it into a container and saving it for later. Need something to store it in? Check out my suggestions for easy food storage solutions!
How you shred the chicken will affect the texture of the chicken salad. Some people like big chunks of chicken, others like to pulverize it in a food processor. This is totally a matter of personal preference. I personally like mine somewhere in the middle, shredded relatively thin but not chopped in a food processor.
Assembly
The quantities of ingredients can be changed based on your preference. The apples and nuts are going to add crunch to the recipe. Simply add or subtract to make the chicken salad either more or less crunchy.
To start, place your shredded chicken in a good-sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Next, add the walnuts, apples, and celery. Mix them well. Finally, add the mayo and relish and incorporate everything together. I like to refrigerate my chicken salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
This simple chicken salad recipe can be served in a number of ways. I’m partial to chicken salad sandwiches myself. It is also awesome on croissants. If you want to go super simple, you can serve the chicken salad with crackers.
I hope you find this simple chicken salad recipe helpful! There’s nothing better than a nice chicken salad sandwich with some slices of watermelon on a hot summer’s day!
Simple Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- ½ cup mayo
- ½ cup diced apples
- ¼ cup sweet relish
- 1 celery stalk
- ¼ walnuts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place 1 to 2 chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with water, then place on a high heat.
- Once the chicken begins to bubble, lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer the chicken for 20-30 minutes until cooked all the way through.
- While the chicken is cooking, dice your apples, celery, and walnuts.
- When the chicken is done, allow it to cool and then shred it to the size of your preference.
- Place shredded chicken in a mixing bowl. Add celery, apples, and walnuts and then toss them together.
- Add the mayo and pickle relish. Season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix the ingredients.
