The Best Ever Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe Has Eggs (2024)

Sandwiches
Chicken Recipes
Southern Food

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 02/8/24

Tested by

Colleen Graham

Tested byColleen Graham

Freelance writer and co*cktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 25 mins

How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad—You Have Options!

The recipe includes two ways to cook chicken: baked or poached. Either way, plan on two or three chicken breasts, depending on their size.

It also works with leftover cooked chicken (both light and dark meat), so if you have roasted chicken or grilled chicken, feel free to use that.

Or pick up a rotisserie chicken from your grocer. You can even use canned chicken.

These Ingredients Give Chicken Salad a Ton of Flavor

A common complaint about chicken salad is that it's too bland. Fortunately, all you need to avoid ho-hum chicken salad is a few kitchen staples:

Dill pickle relish: One of the secrets to homestyle southern chicken salad is the choppeddill pickle relish, which adds lots of flavor and a tanginess that livens things up. If you don't have dill relish, use finely chopped dill pickles (hamburger slices work, too) and add a little of the pickle juice to the salad.
Chopped hard-boiled egg: Another secret of southern cooks is adding chopped hard-boiled eggs to chicken salad, which add a wonderful richness and creaminess.
Chopped red onion and celery: Finely chopped onions and celery add a delicious crunch to chicken salad.
Mayonnaise: Whether you prefer homemade mayonnaise or perhaps the southern favorite, Duke's, don't be shy about adding plenty of mayo for a moist, rich-tasting chicken salad.

What Can I Use Instead of Mayo in Chicken Salad?

If you want something lighter: Try using a combination of plainGreek yogurtand mayo.
If you want it to be tangy: Use a combination of Greek yogurt and a bit of sour cream.
If you want it to be egg-free: Try a plant-based mayo.
If you love avocados: Try mashing up anavocadoor two and using it in place of the mayo.

How to Serve Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is wonderful in lettuce-lined buns. It's also delicious in sandwiches made with plain loaf bread, croissants,freshly baked biscuits, or wraps.

Serve chicken salad sandwiches with a side of sliced tomatoes, chips, or a cup of soup. To make them part of a family supper, go with french fries and coleslaw or a tossed salad.

Or skip the bread and serve your chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or mixed greens, atop a simple salad with sliced avocado or tomato wedges, or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

The Best Ever Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe Has Eggs (3)

What You'll Need To Make This Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

A Baking Pan

A Good Pot

An Accurate Meat Thermometer

"The recipe is simple to prepare and creates a classic chicken salad sandwich. It’s a great way to use leftover chicken breasts. A food chopper makes it even quicker and ensures the ingredients are uniformly sized. Clean-up was minimal, and ingredients were inexpensive, so it’s a versatile recipe to have around." —Colleen Graham

The Best Ever Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe Has Eggs (7)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or 2 or 3 raw boneless chicken breasts for baking or poaching
See Also
Thai Beef Coconut Curry Soup - Recipe Girl
3 tablespoons finely chopped red or yellow onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 large hard-boiled egg, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise, as needed to moisten the salad
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon fine salt (orseasoned salt to taste)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 slices bread
Lettuce

Steps to Make It

Note: While there are multiple ways to cook chicken, we've outlined two of our favorite methods to cook it for this chicken salad recipe.You will need to cook 2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts depending on the size.

Option 1: Bake theChicken

To bake boneless chicken breasts, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with foil.
Arrange the chicken on the pan and season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake until the chicken registers160 Fon a food thermometer. Depending on the size and thickness of the boneless chicken breasts, it will take22 to 30 minutes. Let cool and chop.

Option 2: Poach theChicken

To poach boneless chicken breasts, place chicken in a single layer in a deep skillet or sauté pan with a lid.
If desired, add some herbs and chopped aromatic vegetables, such as onions, garlic, or carrots. Cover the chicken with water (about 1/2 to 1 inch above the chicken breasts)and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and continue cooking for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
Check the chicken breasts with a food thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the chicken has reached at least160 F. Let cool and chop.

Make the Chicken Salad

Once you've cooked and cooled the chicken, chop it into bite-size pieces and gather the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine the cooked, chopped chicken, onion, celery, and egg. Stir to combine.
Add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, the dill pickle relish, salt, and pepper to the chicken. Stir to blend well.
Add more mayonnaise to moisten, if desired.
Serve on bread with lettuce andenjoy.

How To Store

Store any leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
While it's safe to freeze chicken salad, the texture will suffer so we do not recommend it.

Recipe Variations

Add herbs: Add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs, such as chives, thyme, dill, or parsley.
Spice it up: Give the salad a spicy kick with a 1/4 teaspoon or so of cayenne pepper or a squirt of sriracha, adjusted to taste.
Punch up the flavor: Try it with 1 teaspoon of either garlic or onion powder.
Make it with mustard: Add about 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon or whole grainmustardto the mayonnaise mixture.
Sweeten it up: Replace the dill pickle relish with sweet pickle relish or finely chopped sweet pickles, such as bread and butter pickles.
Add nuts: Add choppedtoasted pecansto the salad for a satisfying crunch.

20 Best Boneless Chicken Breast Recipes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
493	Calories
31g	Fat
33g	Carbs
20g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	493
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	39%
Saturated Fat 6g	30%
Cholesterol 106mg	35%
Sodium 703mg	31%
Total Carbohydrate 33g	12%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 20g
Vitamin C 2mg	11%
Calcium 119mg	9%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 295mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

salad
chicken salad sandwich
chicken salad
chicken

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