A simple Southern Chicken Salad recipe that's loaded with tender meat, sweet cranberries (or juicy grapes), celery, Vidalia onion and pecans in a mayonnaise-based dressing. You just can't beat a classic!
This basic Southern Chicken Salad recipe has been one of my favorite make-ahead lunch or light dinner options for as long as I can remember. My mom serves it regularly, and I've tweaked my own homemade chicken salad recipe over the years to make it absolutely perfect. While a Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes is delicious for a change of pace, I always come back to this tried-and-true favorite!
The Best Southern Chicken Salad Recipe:
There's a little country store near our house that sells the best store-bought chicken salad I've ever tasted. I used the chicken salad from Yoder's Country Market as the inspiration for my homemade version, even consulting one of my local girlfriends to make sure that my recipe was a close copycat to the market's. We've got a winner, and I'm so excited to share it with you! Here's why this Southern Chicken Salad recipe is truly the best:
- The Right Amount of Mayonnaise: Yoder's chicken salad has just the right amount of mayo -- enough to hold the dish together, but not so much that it's overpowering. It took some tweaking, but I finally got the proportions correct. The salad is moist and flavorful, but not drowning in dressing.
- A Variety of Textures and Flavors: The recipe includes a great mix of sweet and savory flavors, as well as crunchy, chewy and tender textures. You'll love the combination of toasty pecans, crisp celery and onion, tender chicken, and sweet cranberries or grapes. Add hardboiled eggs or pickle relish for even more flavor!
- It's Quick and Easy: No one wants to spend hours in the kitchen just to get a meal on the table. I've got 5 hungry mouths to feed, so I need delicious, flavorful options that come together without too much effort. This recipe delivers! You can cook your own chicken at home (I like to boil mine in just minutes), but you can also purchase a store-bought rotisserie chicken to use in this recipe. When starting with cooked chicken, the entire dish is ready in about 15 minutes.
- A Prep-Ahead Option: This traditional chicken salad recipe is best when it has a chance to chill for at least 1 hour before serving. As a result, it's a great choice for parties, luncheons, or busy weeknight dinners when everyone is on different schedules and you need an easy meal ready in the fridge.
How to Make Chicken Salad from Scratch:
If you’re starting with cooked, diced chicken, this recipe comes together in about 15 minutes — no baking required!
Ingredients for a Southern Chicken Salad Recipe:
- Cooked, diced or shredded chicken
- Dried sweetened cranberries or halved red grapes
- Diced celery
- Diced Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion)
- Chopped, toasted pecans
- Mayonnaise (Duke's brand is the best)
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley (for garnish)
Step 1: Stir Together Salad Ingredients
In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, cranberries (or grapes), celery, onion and pecans.
Step 2: Whisk Together Dressing
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add Dressing to Salad
Add the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken and toss to coat.
Step 4: Chill
Refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 1 hour before serving. This gives the ingredients a chance to absorb the dressing, it brings the flavors together, and it ensures that the salad is crisp and cool.
How to Season Southern Chicken Salad:
This salad is seasoned simply with a little bit of salt, pepper and lemon juice in the mayonnaise-based dressing. Fresh parsley adds a bright touch at the end, but you can also stir additional herbs into the dressing. Try chopped fresh rosemary or thyme. Adding a little bit of curry powder (like this recipe) works well, too!
How to Serve this Southern Chicken Salad Recipe:
Chicken salad is a great option to keep in the refrigerator and pull out when you need a quick snack with crackers, when you need an easy lunch, or when you want a simple, make-ahead, light dinner. Here are a few great ways to serve the chicken salad:
- Make a Southern Chicken Salad Sandwich on rolls, French bread, or a simple white sandwich bread;
- Make a Chicken Salad Wrap by rolling it up in a tortilla with lettuce and tomato;
- For a decadent brunch, try serving Chicken Salad Biscuits or Chicken Salad Croissants (perfect for baby showers and bridal showers);
- Keep it simple and light and serve the salad on top of a bed of lettuce;
- Set out the salad in a bowl and serve it with crackers for scooping;
- Or for an impressive presentation, scoop out the seeds from a cantaloupe melon and serve the salad inside the center of the fruit. It’s a delicious sweet-and-savory combination.
Don't forget a cold glass of Sweet Tea on the side!
The Best Crackers for Chicken Salad:
If you're pairing the chicken salad with crackers, here are a few great options to try:
- Ritz (perfect flaky, buttery texture and flavor)
- Wheat Thins (a nice sweet-and-savory flavor profile; try the "big" size for dipping)
- Carr's Table Water Crackers (my grandmother's favorite!)
- Triscuits (thick and sturdy -- perfect for scooping)
How to Quickly Toast the Pecans:
You can toast the pecans in a dry skillet over low heat until they're fragrant. I often end up burning nuts in a skillet; however, because I get distracted. They burn so quickly! Instead, I like to use the microwave. Simply place the pecans in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave the nuts on high in 30-second intervals (stirring in between), just until they’re just fragrant and golden brown. This usually takes a total of 1-2 minutes.
You can swap out the pecans and use cashews, almonds or walnuts instead.
How to Store Chicken Salad:
Prepare this salad up to 24 hours in advance. It keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The nuts will start to get soft after about 1 day, but it's still delicious! Stored properly, homemade chicken salad will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
How can I thicken up my Chicken Salad?
If you find that you have too much dressing for your preference, you can thicken the chicken salad by adding more chicken, pecans, celery, onion, cranberries or grapes. You might also like to stir in some chopped hardboiled eggs. This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to tailor it to suit your taste.
Substitute for Celery in Chicken Salad:
If you don't have any celery on hand, or if you just don't care for the taste, you can substitute with any of these other ingredients:
- Extra pecans, cranberries and onion
- Scallions or green onion
- Diced carrots
- Water chestnut
- Green apple
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Southern Chicken Salad Recipe with Grapes: I've shown cranberries here, because that's how Yoder's Country Market makes its chicken salad. I love the sweet, tart and chewy taste that the Craisins provide. That said, red grapes are also a classic addition and work well as a substitute for the cranberries.
- Chicken Salad with Hardboiled Eggs: Many Southern Chicken Salad recipes include a couple of chopped hardboiled eggs in the dish. You can feel free to add those, too!
- Shredded Chicken Salad: This is just a matter of personal preference -- shred the cooked chicken or dice it into bite-size pieces -- whatever you like best!
- White or Dark Meat: If you like dark meat, it adds great flavor to chicken salad. We like a combination of both white and dark, but you can use whichever you prefer.
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad: Shred the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to use in this recipe. It's a great, flavorful shortcut!
- Cook the Chicken at Home: If you're cooking the chicken at home, you'll need about 1 ½ pounds of raw boneless, skinless chicken. Boil the chicken until cooked through (about 15-18 minutes), and then shred with two forks or dice into small pieces when it's cool enough to handle.
- Add More or Less Mayonnaise: The amount of mayonnaise in a chicken salad recipe is truly a matter of preference. I like to err on the side of less mayo, so I think this is best with about ¾ cup (sometimes I'll even cut it back to just ½ cup). If you like a wetter salad, increase the amount to 1 full cup.
- Add Mustard: This particular chicken salad recipe is made without mustard, but you can add a dollop of Dijon or honey mustard to your dressing for even more flavor.
More chicken salad recipes that you might enjoy:
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (such as Craisins) or halved red grapes
- ¾ cup diced celery
- ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
- ¼ cup diced Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Garnish: fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together chicken, cranberries (or grapes), celery, pecans and onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, about ½ teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper.
- Add mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as necessary. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Garnish with parsley just before serving.
Notes
- Chicken Salad with Hardboiled Eggs: Many Southern Chicken Salad recipes include a couple of chopped hardboiled eggs in the dish. It's not our preference, but you can feel free to add those, too!
- Shredded Chicken Salad: This is just a matter of personal preference -- shred the cooked chicken or dice it into bite-size pieces -- whatever you like best!
- White or Dark Meat: If you like dark meat, it adds great flavor to chicken salad. We like a combination of both white and dark, but you can use whichever you prefer.
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad: Shred the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to use in this recipe. It's a great, flavorful shortcut!
- Cook the Chicken at Home: If you're cooking the chicken at home, you'll need about 1 ½ pounds of raw boneless, skinless chicken. Boil the chicken until cooked through (about 15-18 minutes), and then shred with two forks or dice into small pieces when it's cool enough to handle.
- Add More or Less Mayonnaise: The amount of mayonnaise in a chicken salad recipe is truly a matter of preference. I like to err on the side of less mayo, so I think this is best with about ¾ cup (sometimes I'll even cut it back to just ½ cup). If you like a wetter salad, increase the amount to 1 full cup.
- Add Mustard: This particular chicken salad recipe is made without mustard, but you can add a dollop of Dijon or honey mustard to your dressing for even more flavor.
Stephanie Bowman
I’ve been trying to replicate Yoders chicken salad too! But failing badly. One thing I notice they do is make their salad really sweet, but I didn’t notice any sugar or sweetener in your recipe? I’m dying to make theirs at home!!
Blair
That's funny, Stephanie! I hadn't noticed that Yoder's version is sweeter than usual. I'll have to pay attention to that the next time I buy it. 🙂 Or, if you add sugar to yours and it works well, let me know -- maybe that's a missing ingredient! Hope you enjoy!