Ingredients
Chicken salad
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1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
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3 celery stalks, finely diced — about 1½ cups
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½ cup (60 g) finely chopped green onions or scallions
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¼ cup (15 g) fresh parsley, finely chopped
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1–2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, or 1 tsp dried dill
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½ tsp black pepper
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¾ tsp salt, or to taste
Creamy dressing
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¾ cup (180 g) mayonnaise
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¼ cup (60 g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
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1 tbsp Dijon mustard
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1 tbsp lemon juice
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1 tsp apple-cider vinegar
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½ tsp garlic powder
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½ tsp onion powder
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½ tsp dried parsley
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¼ tsp paprika
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Salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional additions
For a salad closer to the one pictured:
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½ cup chopped green grapes
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¼ cup finely diced cucumber
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2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
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¼ cup chopped pecans or almonds (optional—see nut information below)
Method
1. Cook the chicken
Place chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with water or chicken broth. Add a little salt.
Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for approximately 12–18 minutes, depending on thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C.
Remove and cool for 10–15 minutes.
Tip: Poaching in chicken broth gives the salad more flavor than plain water.
2. Shred the chicken
Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken finely using two forks or a stand mixer on low speed.
For the texture shown in the photograph, aim for fine, moist shreds rather than large chunks.
3. Prepare the dressing
Whisk together:
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mayonnaise
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sour cream/Greek yogurt
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Dijon
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lemon juice
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vinegar
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garlic powder
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onion powder
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paprika
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dried parsley
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salt and pepper
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Combine
Add the shredded chicken, celery, green onion, parsley and dill to a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the chicken and gently fold everything together.
If using grapes, cucumber or nuts, fold them in at this stage.
5. Chill
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1–2 hours.
The flavor improves considerably after chilling.
Before serving, taste again. Add a little lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed.
Quantity / Serving Size
Yield: approximately 6 cups
Servings: 6
Per serving: approximately 1 cup / 240–250 g
For sandwiches, this makes roughly 8–10 sandwiches, depending on how generously you fill them.
Storage
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container and use within 3–4 days. Don’t leave chicken salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour in very hot conditions).
Nutrition — approximate
For 1 serving (about 1 cup), using mayonnaise + sour cream and without optional nuts/grapes:
| Nutrient | Approx. amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 400–430 kcal |
| Protein | 38–42 g |
| Total fat | 24–27 g |
| Saturated fat | 4–5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5–7 g |
| Fiber | 1–2 g |
| Sugars | 2–3 g |
| Sodium | 600–750 mg |
Actual values vary substantially with the mayonnaise, chicken and amount of salt used.
Nut information
Base recipe: contains no tree nuts or peanuts.
If adding ¼ cup chopped pecans, the whole recipe gets approximately:
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+200 kcal
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+20 g fat
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+3 g protein
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+3 g carbohydrate
That would add roughly 33 kcal per serving if divided among six servings.
If this is being prepared for someone with a nut allergy, check the mayonnaise, mustard, yogurt/sour cream and other packaged ingredients for cross-contact/allergen labeling rather than assuming they’re nut-free.
Serving ideas
Serve chilled in:
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croissants or sandwich bread
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lettuce cups
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tortillas/wraps
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crackers
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toasted sourdough
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over a green salad