Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

If you don't make anything else from this blog, find time to make this Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe! And then make a whole bunch of chicken salad sandwiches!

In this chicken salad recipe, lean, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are poached in a "secret" ingredient, then pulsed in a food processor with seasonings, crisp vegetables, pickle relish, and hard boiled eggs to make the ultimate chicken salad sandwich spread. It's delicious on whole grain bread, crackers, or even eaten with spoon!

Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (1)


Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (2)

A few years back, I helped out my neighbors by working at their family owned Chick-fil-A restaurant for a short time. I handed out freebies and chicken samples for just a few months. It was fun! And, of course, I got to sample all of the goods myself.
One of the items I really enjoyed was their chicken salad. I heard the chicken salad sandwich isn't available at Chick-fil-A anymore. All good things come to an end, I suppose.
I've always been a huge fan of chicken salad. One of my all time favorite recipes for chicken salad is this Waldorf Style Chicken Salad. It's full of big crunch from apples and walnuts! And, I do love this not-so-ordinary Blueberry Pecan Chicken Salad too!
But, neither of these chicken salad recipes, as good as they are, are really suited for sandwiches. They are chunky and crunchy, not smooth and hom*ogeneous.

This chicken salad recipe I'm sharing today, is perfectly suited for sandwiches. It reminds me a lot of the chicken salad recipe I enjoyed at Chick-fil-A. I wouldn't say it's a copycat recipe, but I would say it's pretty darn close!
It's a southern style chicken salad, full of crisp celery and onion, pickle relish, and yes, eggs! That's right, this Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe has eggs in it! Have you ever had chicken salad with eggs?

If not, you are in for a treat!

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But first things first, let's talk about cooking chicken breasts for this chicken salad recipe.

How to cook chicken breasts for salad recipes:

My favorite method for cooking chicken breasts for salad recipes is poaching. By definition, "poach" means to cook something by simmering it in a small amount of liquid. I find this method is best because it leaves the entire chicken breast soft and moist.

This is the texture you want for chicken salad recipes like this one. This method works well for boneless and bone in chicken breasts. But I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts when I make chicken salad.

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What kind of liquid can I use to poach chicken breasts for chicken salad?

You can use just about any liquid you like to poach chicken breasts. Water is fine, but chicken broth is better. Even fruit juices and milk make great poaching liquids! You can also add aromatics to the poaching liquid to give the chicken different flavor profiles. Sliced lemons, black peppercorns, and bay leaves are popular additions.

My secret ingredient is Sprite! I love poaching chicken breasts in Sprite! The lemon lime soda leaves a slightly sweet citrus flavor to the chicken which I think is just perfect in this chicken salad recipe!

How to poach chicken breasts for chicken salad recipes:


  1. Add chicken breasts to skillet with a lid. Sprinkle with salt.
  2. Add enough poaching liquid to the pan to completely cover the chicken breasts.
  3. Turn on heat and bring liquid up to just boiling.
  4. Cover pan and turn heat down to simmer.
  5. Simmer until internal temperature of chicken breasts reach 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat.
  6. Remove chicken from poaching liquid and allow to cool enough to handle. If poaching for this chicken salad recipe, let cool completely before turning them into chicken salad.

Of course, if you don't want to or feel like poaching the chicken for this recipe any diced leftover chicken breast would work in any chicken salad recipe here on my blog.

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How do you make homemade chicken salad?

Once the chicken breasts are completely cooled the food processor will make easy work of combining everything. For best results, cube cooled chicken, hard boiled egg, celery, and onion to about the same size before adding to the food processor.

Make sure you use a food processor that is 6 - 9 cups or bigger for this chicken salad recipe. This recipe does make a lot of chicken salad! But, this recipe is also suitable to be halved to make a smaller amount if you like.

Can chicken salad be frozen?


Chicken Salad cannot be frozen. The mayonnaise in the salad will not hold up and will break. The salad will be slimy and unappealing when defrosted.

Even more salad sandwiches to love!

chicken salad recipe, chicken salad with egg, southern chicken salad

Main Course

American

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Renee Paj

Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (6)

Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe is boneless, skinless chicken breasts are poached Sprite, then pulsed in a food processor with seasonings, crisp vegetables, pickle relish, and hard boiled eggs to make the ultimate chicken salad sandwich spread.

Ingredients

  • 2 - 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached, cooled and diced into 2" cubes (see poaching instructions in text above)
  • 2 large stalks of celery, cut into 2" pieces
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into 2" pieces
  • 1/4 cup pickle relish (sweet or dill)
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup Mayonnaise made with Olive Oil
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
  • 1 tsp. celery salt
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In 6 cup (or bigger) food processor or larger fitted with blade, add all ingredients. Process for several seconds, then scrape down sides and process until desired consistency.
  2. Store covered, in refrigerator.

Notes

Nutritional Information is an estimate.Serving size is approximately 1/4 cup

Nutrition Facts

Calories

142

Fat (grams)

5

Carbs (grams)

4

Protein (grams)

19

Copyright © 2018 Renee's Kitchen Adventures


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Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (7)

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Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is chicken salad a southern thing? ›

Early American chicken salad recipes can be found in 19th-century Southern cookbooks, including Sarah Rutledge's The Carolina Housewife: Or, House and Home (1847) and Abby Fisher's What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881).

What's the ingredients for chicken salad? ›

Why is my chicken salad so bland? ›

How to make chicken salad taste better. The secret ingredient you should be adding to your chicken salad is pickle juice (via Cookies and Cups). You can (and should) add chopped pickles for extra tang and crunch, but if you like to keep things simple, just a splash or two of the pickle juice will do.

Does chicken salad chick use mayonnaise? ›

When our Original Chick, Stacy, set out in search of the perfect chicken salad, she found that the only two key components anyone could agree on were chicken and mayonnaise. From there, she developed recipes to please every palate, everything from the traditional to the savory, fruity, and spicy.

Why does my chicken salad get watery? ›

Watery vegetables: Certain vegetables, such as cucumbers or tomatoes, have high water content. If these vegetables are not properly drained, or if they are cut into large chunks, their moisture can seep into the salad and make it soggy.

What does a Southern meal consist of? ›

A traditional Southern meal may include pan-fried chicken, field peas (such as black-eyed peas), greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, or poke sallet), mashed potatoes, cornbread or corn pone, sweet tea, and dessert—typically a pie (sweet potato, chess, shoofly, pecan, and peach are the most ...

How good is homemade chicken salad good for? ›

It's tempting to stir up a big batch so that we can enjoy leftovers for a few days. But how long is it safe to keep chicken salad on hand? The short answer is to store chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for no more than four days.

What not to do when preparing chicken salad? ›

To ensure that your chicken salad tastes the way that it should, you should avoid using overcooked or dry chicken in your recipe. Unfortunately, as we cook chicken, the moisture of the bird slowly evaporates.

How to perk up chicken salad? ›

Optional Chicken Salad Recipe Add-Ins

There's a lot you can do with a good basic recipe for chicken salad. Add minced fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil, or tarragon. Add fresh grapes for juicy little bursts of flavor. Add cooked pasta to stretch the chicken salad into a larger meal.

Why do I feel sick after eating chicken salad? ›

For instance, you can be hit with severe nausea and vomiting just an hour after eating contaminated chicken salad that has a type of toxin-producing bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus.

What is Sassy Scotty at Chicken Salad Chick? ›

It is a delicious chicken salad that is loaded with ranch, bacon, cheddar, and more! This copycat Chicken Salad Chick sassy scotty goes great on toast, with crackers, or on a salad.

Does chicken salad chick have celery in their chicken salad? ›

Classic Carol – Delicious all-white meat, shredded chicken, finely minced celery, mayo, and our blend of secret seasoning that will keep you coming back for more!

What is in the Mcdonald's chicken salad? ›

Freshly prepared salad with chicken breast in a crispy coating, lettuce, cucumber, sliced tomato and red onion. Nutrition and allergen information do not include dressing.

Where does chicken salad originate? ›

Chicken salad first originated when Liam Gray, proprietor of Town Meats in Wakefield, Rhode Island, mixed leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon, and grapes in 1863. She began making it at night after her children were asleep and delivering it by basket, door to door, to potential customers.

What country is chicken salad from? ›

We can thank the Chinese for being the first to serve variations of “chicken salad.” Of course, these versions were far from what we are familiar with today, but the general idea was pieces of chicken mixed with a variety of spices and oils, always tied together by a binding substance.

Where is it's a chicken salad from? ›

In the video, Cleveland native Tanisha Godfrey has a chicken salad in front of her and says, “Y'all better come up here and get one of these.” Someone off camera asks her what it is, and she responds, “It's a chicken salad," then shares where she got it from ("81st Deli … superior") and what's in it.

Where did chicken salad chick originate? ›

Stacy Brown and her husband Kevin Brown founded Chicken Salad Chick in 2008 in Auburn, AL. The business idea came out of her love for making and serving chicken salad, a recipe that was passed down from her grandmother.

References

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