Ultimate Chicken Salad
701 Comments
Updated May 23, 2024
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Chicken salad is a classic recipe, but my version has a little something extra to make it the ultimate chicken salad recipe – keep reading below! Diced chicken is tossed with a creamy dressing and dotted with crisp celery, green onion, and fresh grapes. It’s easy, healthy, bright, flavorful, and will make any summer meal a breeze.
When I think of chicken salad, I think of summer’s own version of comfort food. It’s creamy, filling, and loaded with fresh, bright flavors. You get hints of Dijon mustard, juicy grapes, and crispy celery with every bite. And the best part? The cooking is kept to a minimum, making it the perfect throw-together meal.
So what makes my version unique? It’s really all about the herbs (the more herbs the better). And my secret ingredient – tarragon! Tarragon pairs beautifully with the chicken and gives it that wow factor. Trust me, everybody will be coming back for seconds on this one. So hit the market, grab your salad ingredients, and follow along with me in the video below.
Chicken Salad Ingredients
While the ingredients are simple, it’s how their unique flavors meld together that’s key. Here’s what I use:
- Chicken Breasts – I use poached chicken in this recipe, but you could also use leftover rotisserie chicken, or shredded chicken from boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Mayonnaise – You can’t beat this creamy binder to mix all the ingredients together. And while you can use a store-bought version, it’s easy to make mayonnaise at home!
- Dijon Mustard – Just a little Dijon mustard adds great depth of flavor and a little spice.
- Red Grapes – You could use red or green seedless grapes, I just love the contrasting color of red grapes.
- Celery – I love my chicken salads to have that crisp celery crunch.
- Green Onion – Green onions add that savory flavor without being too pungent, which is perfect.
- Toasted Almonds – Toast your sliced almonds to bring out more of the nutty flavor.
- Parsley – One of the best herbs for adding to salads, just finely chop up a few tablespoons.
- Tarragon – The best secret ingredient! You’ll be amazed at how much flavor just a little bit of tarragon adds to the salad.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Poach Chicken
I love to use poached chicken in this recipe as it’s easy, healthy, and flavorful. It also means you don’t have to turn your oven on if it’s a hot sunny day outside. A definite bonus.
If done correctly, poaching can yield one of the most tender pieces of chicken you’ve ever had. To nail this every time, follow the simple steps below.
- Place your chicken breasts into a wide pot or pan, so that they’re not overlapped or crowded.
- Cover the chicken with cold water. Season the water with a bit of salt to give it some flavor.
- Slowly bring the water to a gentle simmer. Then, reduce the heat back to low and cover the pan.
- Let the chicken simmer for about 10 minutes. Remember, patience is key for this low and slow process.
- Check to see the doneness of your chicken. If the internal temperature reads 160°F to 165°F, turn the heat off.
- Let the chicken rest. Just a minute or two of rest time allows the chicken juices to redistribute.
- Chill the chicken in the fridge. This is key as you need cold chicken in this recipe.
How To Make Chicken Salad
Now that you have beautifully tender chicken, it’s time to assemble the salad. And there’s really only three steps:
- Toast: Lightly toast the almonds in a pan on the stove. Let them cool completely to room temperature.
- Slice and Dice: Dice up your chicken breasts into small pieces. Then, quarter the grapes, dice the celery, parsley and tarragon, and slice the green onion.
- Mix: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix everything together until it’s well combined. Season with a bit of salt and pepper – and you’re done!
Chicken salad is best served when it’s cold. So let the mixture chill in the fridge before serving. This also helps all the flavors meld together for the tastiest salad.
Chicken Salad Variations
Aside from the ingredients listed below, you have a few options to play with when it comes to texture and flavor.
- Vary the nuts. Swap the almonds for pecans or walnuts.
- Mix up the fruit. You can omit the grapes and add diced apples, dried cranberries or dried cherries.
- Change the onions. If green onions aren’t your thing, you can swap them for finely diced red onions.
- Make it creamier. Swap the mayonnaise for greek yogurt or do half and half.
How to Serve It
Most often, I eat this chicken salad by the spoonful straight out of the bowl – because it’s that good! But to turn it into a meal, here’s a few ideas.
- Sandwich: Stuff it between sandwich bread with layers of lettuce, spinach, or tomato slices.
- Lettuce Wrap: For a lighter, low-carb option, use large romaine or butter leaf lettuce leaves to wrap it.
- Extra Green Salad: Dollop a few spoonful on top of a bed of greens such as baby spinach or a spring mix.
STORAGE TIPS
Since this recipe is meant to be chilled, don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than two hours. Otherwise, store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
More Classic Salad Recipes
Here are a few light, fresh and healthy salad recipes that I always have on repeat.
- Tuna Salad – Besides chicken salad, this is the recipe I make most often.
- Broccoli Salad – For that crispy crunch, this potluck favorite always wins.
- Greek Salad – This Mediterranean salad is easy, fresh, and light.
- Cucumber Salad – Just a handful of ingredients turn into a super refreshing salad.
- Shrimp Salad – A creamy and bright salad with celery, red onion, and herbs.
- Egg Salad – One of my favorite uses for hard boiled eggs!
This really is the ultimate chicken salad recipe – and I hope you love it as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Ultimate Chicken Salad Recipe
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup sliced raw almonds
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup red grapes, quartered
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 3 green onions (green and white parts), sliced
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
- 1 lemon , juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
To Poach the Chicken
- Place the chicken breasts in a wide pot or pan and cover by about an inch with cold water. Season the water with salt. Optionally, you can add aromatics of your choice. Read my poached chicken recipe for more details.
- Turn the heat to medium until it reaches a gentle simmer. Then reduce the heat back to low and cover the pan. Let the chicken simmer for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F to 165°F. Remove the chicken and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Then chill in the fridge.
Chicken Salad Recipe
- Transfer the cooled chicken to a cutting board and dice it into ½-inch pieces.
- Slice and dice the celery, green onion, grapes, parsley and tarragon. Add those ingredients to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix everything together until it's well combined. Let it chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published May 2020, but updated with new information and tips.
Hi, Having trouble finding tarragon…. what else could I use? Thx!
Great recipe. Hold the grapes for me, tho.
I’m glad you love this chicken salad recipe, James!
This was delicious! Love the crunch of the almonds and celery and the sweet bite from the grapes. You nailed this recipe Lisa, thank you!! 🙏🏼 💕😋
Hi Paige – I’m so glad you’re loving this chicken salad!
Hi Lisa,
Your ultimate chicken salad was soooooo good. I’ve made it twice and shared it with a friend who said it was fantastic. My husband loved it too which I was happy about. The weather has been very hot here, so this refreshing cold salad was a gift.
Blessings, Jami
Hi Jami – I’m so glad everyone is loving this chicken salad!
I love this chicken salad! The only thing that I changed was to leave out the celery and put in tiny chunks of English cucumber for the cool crunch it adds! Love this so much on a baguette or on a brioche roll!
Hi Susan – Love the idea of adding cucumber instead! Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad.
Can this be made the day before?
Yes, absolutely!
I add tarragon to the chicken while cooking, as well as directly in the salad. My favourites grapes to use are the little red cotton candy grapes
Hi Elaine – Sounds great! Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad.
Can anyone tell me the serving size?
My chicken salad also gets any color bell pepper, cucumber, and either radish, water chestnut or jicama
Did this recipe use to have dill instead of the other herbs or am I losing it? haha! I make this recipe every 4th of July. If using dill, how would you replace/how much would you use?
Hi Shawna – this recipe has always had tarragon, but you could certainly use dill in the same amount. Enjoy!
Have made this several times. My wife loves it. This only things we do differently are we add maybe a quarter cup more of grapes and we use Old Bay seasoning instead of salt. It is a Maryland thing. Perfect every time. Jim, Baltimore, Md.
Hi James – Happy to hear this chicken salad has been such a hit! And I’m sure Old Bay seasoning is great.
This is the best chicken salad I’ve made to date. My family does not like chicken salad and they said they would eat this one anytime. Thank you.
Hi Joyce – Thrilled to hear the whole family ended up loving this chicken salad!
My husband and I love this chicken salad. He eats it on bread and I eat it on a plate!
Hi Elizabeth – Wonderful! I’m glad you both enjoyed this chicken salad.
I am going to use your recipe for an upcoming event. Do you know how many pounds a single batch weighs? I am doing chicken salad croissants for 50. Thank you for your recipe!
Tarragon makes the dish!
I really think it does as well! Glad you enjoyed it, Laurie!
Fantastic recipe! I went to the store just to make sure I had all the ingredients and am glad I did. I ended up adding extra grapes, celery, onion, and almonds because I didn’t have quite 2 lbs of chicken. Delicious.
Hi Jenna – I’m so glad you loved this chicken salad recipe!
I made this last night for dinner. Exactly as written except I didn’t have fresh herbs so I used
McCormick Gourmet Herbes De Provence that I had on hand. I have to say, this is a VERY GOOD recipe! I will make it again, thank you!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rhonda! And that sounds like a perfect substitution.
Outstanding recipe! Thank you! I’ll be taking it to my aunt’s house for lunch tomorrow. I did everything to a T and it came out excellent oh except I used dried parsley and tarragon…close enough, right?😊
Hi Micki – Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken salad!
This was absolutely delicious! I poached the chicken. I subbed avocado mayonnaise since I’m dairy free. I made it for a luncheon and everyone raved about how good it was!
Wonderful! So happy you and your friends loved it, Anne!
I made this yesterday as a meal prep dish for the week and it’s absolutely delicious. So glad I found this recipe.
Hi Stephanie – Happy to hear you love this one!
This is absolutely delicious. I put 2 cups of grapes (small halved) and used about 3 lbs of chicken… I have to say it is the best I have had. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Lora – Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken salad recipe!
Have made chicken salad many times but always felt like something was missing. Tarragon for the win. What a difference. Will be putting this recipe into the rotation for sure. Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so thrilled you loved this chicken salad, Nancy!
This was SO very good! Just finishing a bowl of it after making it this morning. Used green grapes as that’s what my husband will eat and used cashews instead of almonds. Had to use dried tarragon as simply cannot get fresh anywhere near me. The flavors were amazing. Will definitely be making again.
Hi Linda – I’m so glad you two enjoyed this chicken salad with a few small tweaks!
Can you tell me how you adjusted the amount for dried tarragon over fresh, please? I’m in the same boat!
Fresh to Dry Herb Conversion
To convert a quantity of fresh herbs to the corresponding amount of dried flaky herbs, follow the below formula:
3-to-1 ratio of fresh to dry
1 tablespoon of fresh herb = 1 teaspoon of dried herb
Love this chicken salad. Can you give me the calorie count per serving?
Hi there – The nutritional information will always be per serving :)
Can you freeze the chicken salad.
Hi Carol – It’s best not to freeze this due to the mayonnaise.
This was sooooo good. Gave some to my sister and now have to make it again for her birthday. I used walnuts only because I love them. Best ever chicken salad
Hi David – Thanks for leaving a review and glad it was a hit!
To be honest, I’ve never used Tarragon before so I had no expectation of liking/disliking the flavor. I’m so glad I have an open mind because this is, BY FAR, the best chicken salad recipe I’ve ever tasted. It’s the only one I make now and is delicious!
Yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear that. Thanks so much, Joy!
Best recipe ever
This is the best chicken salad ever
Hi Jenny – Happy to hear you’re loving this chicken salad!
Made it today and it’s delicious . I thought three tbsp of lemon was a lot but it was fine . i cant’t stop eating it on top of unsalted crackers i had available at home . Will make it again soon . It will be good for my sliced toasted pain bread for breakfast and my cup of hot coffee.Thank you for the recipe .
So happy you loved the recipe, Alicia!
This recipe is great.
I’ve tweaked it a bit every time I’ve made it and it just seems to get better!
This last time, I used a rotisserie chicken and it was ready in a snap.
I added dash of celery salt, a dash of za’atar, and a bit of dill and garlic powder. (I can’t make anything without garlic!)
I usually don’t have almonds on hand, so I subbed them for toasted cashews or pecans. (I’m beginning to prefer a mix of both) I also added a handful or so of dried cranberries, and the tiniest dash of white wine vinegar. Sooo yummy on a toasted roll/croissant with arugula or romaine!
Hi Caitlyn – All your small tweaks sound delicious! I’m glad this chicken salad always hits the spot.
I see the nutrition says 524KCAL. Is that 524 calories a serving? Bc google is confusing because it says a 1kcal is equal to 1000 calories. But that cant be right because there is no way this recipe is 524,000 calories .
It’s literally the best chicken salad in the world (i only add a little sugar bc i like a little sweet )and im trying to log it into my food diary that i track what i eat a day but im confused. Phenomenal recipe
Excited to try this recipe for a large crowd at our church! Does anyone have any ideas/thoughts on how many small sandwiches this might make? I want to serve it on slider size rolls, so I’m thinking this will yield more than 6 servings. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
This is the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. I can’t order chicken salad at a restaurant now because it’s never anywhere as good as this!
Hi Elizabeth – Happy to hear you’re loving this chicken salad recipe!
HI LISA,
This recipe looks great. Do you use regular parsley or Italian parsley in this recipe?
Thank you kindly for clarifying for me.
Angelica
Hi Angelica – I’m using Italian parsley!
I found Downshiftology on YouTube due to this recipe. Have been a fan ever since. I’ve made this salad so many times, and every time I do, people ask me for the recipe, so I always have to share this page with them. I love a good fruity salad and had never tried one like yours before, like you said, the tarragon does make a huge difference, that’s why I always come back to this dish no matter the season.
Hi Ronny – Happy to hear you love this chicken salad recipe!
Very good but way too much lemon juice. Maybe 1/2 lemon?
Hi Roxanne – You can always tweak the recipe to your liking :)
I have made this a few times and it’s great way to use chicken breasts for a light dinner or lunch. Thanks,
Hi Ethel – Happy to hear this chicken salad has been a hit!
The balance of flavors is just right, creating a dish that’s both satisfying and flavorful. Definitely a must-try for anyone looking for a delicious, quick, and healthy meal option!
Hi Shaheen – Happy to hear you love this chicken salad recipe!
This chicken salad is SO good. Admittedly, I make a few changes – no tarragon or Dijon, and I add bacon. Delicious!
Happy you love it, Jill! And yes, it’s quick flexible, so feel free to tweak it to your liking.
This Ultimate Chicken Salad is a true masterpiece! The combination of flavors and textures is simply divine. The chicken is cooked to perfection, and it’s perfectly complemented by the celery and grapes, which add a delightful crunch and sweetness. The almonds add a nice nutty flavor, and the fresh herbs, especially the tarragon, really elevate the dish. The dressing is creamy and tangy, and it brings all the flavors together beautifully. I can’t imagine a better chicken salad recipe!
Thanks so much! I’m so thrilled you love it!
Our favorite chicken salad recipe! So easy and so so delicious. We probably make this at least every other week for a quick dinner and use the leftovers as a super easy meal prep for lunch throughout the week.
I’m thrilled to hear you love this chicken salad recipe, Stephanie!
Delish! I used our sous vide to cook the chicken, since it stays really juicy and requires no effort on my part :) I also swapped the grapes for apples, since they are in season. I’ve made it twice so far and everyone really enjoys it. This is going into our lunch rotation!
Happy you loved it, Eleanor! And yes, it’s really flexible, so feel free to tweak it.
This was so incredible! I used rotisserie chicken and dried tarragon. I look forward to making this again. It’s so tasty.
Thanks Brandy! I’m happy you loved it!
If I can’t get fresh tarragon will dried work as a substitute?
Yes, you can use that as well.
I used both dried tarragon and dried parsley. It worked fine, but is much better the next day after the dried herbs have rehydrated and all the flavors have combined. I added extra tarragon, too. My adult daughter, a picky eater, calls this the best chicken salad she’s ever had. I have instructions to make extra for her to take to her family. I guess I now run a takeout service because of it!
I made this following your instructions on poaching and chilling the breast overnight and I think this is the best chicken salad I have ever had. Thanks so much.
I’m happy to hear everything worked out for this chicken salad recipe, Ethel!
I’ve made this a couple of times. Delicious and hubby loves it!
While the calories (524) are listed, I can’t find what the portion size is for a serving.
Happy you both loved the recipe, Wendy! There are 6 servings total, but next time I make it I’ll measure out the size of a portion. Enjoy!
I poach boneless chicken breasts, let them cool slightly and shred them in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer on low speed (number 1) – we prefer it shredded not cubed. It freezes well & can be used for chicken tacos, quesadillas or soups etc.
That’s actually a method I also use for my shredded chicken recipe!
Best chicken salad ever! I used left over broasted chicken and used a little bit of regular onion because I didn’t have green onion and chopped pecans. Because I used broasted chicken from the store deli I omitted any salt which turned out perfect. The tarragon is what really makes this recipe scrumptious! I literally could eat the whole bowl right now because I can’t stop myself! This recipe is a keeper!!! Thank you for sharing!
The tarragon is what makes this chicken salad so delicious! Glad you loved it :)
I love chicken tarragon salad and this recipe looks great! I generally look at many recipes then come up with my own. I do not really like mayo unless it is homemade, so I use usually use greek yogurt for tarragon chicken salad since it is readily available in my ice box. I am writing to suggest CASHEWS…best nuts for chicken tarragon salad, hands down!!
I hope you enjoy this version, Nancy. And yes, cashews would be a great addition!
OMG Lisa…this chicken salad is incredible. The complexity of flavor and you’re right the tarragon takes it to the next level. This was also my first time poaching chicken breasts but your video made it so easy. Thank you thank you. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Yay, I’m happy you loved this chicken salad, Alyne! And kudos on your first poached chicken. It’s really simple, isn’t it?
My food snob family expects what I make to be excellent and this recipe did not disappoint. Their personal preference was they liked the grapes and future makings have 4 times the grapes…. thanks
Happy to hear this chicken salad impressed the family, Dave!
I use sliced walnuts and add cranberries. It’s yummy!
I did the ultimate potato salad and although I’m not a fan of celery I was really surprisingly good, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it 😊
Thanks Penelope!
Thank you for this recipe. I is delicious. I will use it often and pass it on
Happy to hear you’re loving this panna cotta recipe, Mary!