Description
This Best Chicken Salad Ever is a quick and easy recipe that combines tender cooked chicken with crisp celery, sharp red onion, and creamy mayonnaise and sour cream, all brightened with a touch of lemon juice. Perfect for a light lunch or a tasty sandwich filling, this chicken salad takes just 15 minutes to prepare and yields a flavorful, satisfying dish that serves six.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken (leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, or 2 cans Costco canned chicken)
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 2 pieces celery (including leafy tops), chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables: Finely chop the red onion and celery, including the leafy tops of the celery, to add crisp texture and fresh flavor to the salad.
- Prepare chicken: In a medium bowl, break up, finely chop, or shred the cooked chicken until it is bite-sized and easy to mix.
- Combine ingredients: Add the chopped onion and celery, lemon juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to the chicken. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Chill and serve: Refrigerate the chicken salad until ready to use. Serve chilled as a sandwich filling, with crackers, or over a bed of greens. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use any cooked chicken you have on hand, such as rotisserie or shredded leftover chicken for convenience.
- Adjust mayonnaise and sour cream amounts based on your preferred creaminess level.
- Chilling the salad allows flavors to meld beautifully, so make ahead if possible.
- Additions like chopped apples, grapes, or nuts can add interesting texture and flavor variations.
- For a lighter version, substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream and mayonnaise.
