Creamy rotisserie chicken salad is the easiest way to make irresistibly delicious chicken salad at home from your leftover deli chicken! This recipe is full of moist, tender chicken, crisp veggies, and the best dressing. It’s the perfect lunch or light dinner!
Don’t get greasy fast food for lunch – make my light, healthy, and satisfying rotisserie chicken salad instead!
My classic chicken salad is an amazingly delicious recipe that you can easily add your favorite additions to. A tangy mayo dressing coats tender chicken dotted with crunchy bits of flavorful celery and onion. It’s light, healthy, and makes for such a wholesome lunch or perfect summertime dinner.
This 2-step chicken salad recipe is so easy, too! It’s done in 15 minutes with no fuss and little prep. That makes it perfect for when you’re on the go and need a quick but nourishing meal.
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This easy chicken salad is perfect to pack for lunches, bring on picnics, or take on road trips! It’s light, but hearty and filling enough to keep anyone satisfied for hours!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
The Easiest Recipe! Mixing pre-cooked rotisserie chicken with veggies and the dressing is all you need for this simple recipe!
So Satisfying! This protein packed meal is going to keep you going all day long!
Super Versatile! Try this recipe as is, then check out my variations to mix it up!
🥘 Ingredients
My easy rotisserie chicken salad uses no special ingredients. Just pick up a rotisserie chicken and you’re ready to cook!
- 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken – Use any style of rotisserie chicken you enjoy! Pull the chicken from the bones and then chop into coarse pieces.
- ½ cup Mayonnaise – I like to use a good quality mayo like Duke’s or Hellman’s (also known as Best Foods). These have the best flavor and don’t use undesirable ingredients like corn syrup.
- 1 rib of Celery – The celery should be chopped as small or as fine as you prefer it.
- 1 Green Onion – Dice the green onion for this recipe! Alternatively, you can use finely diced red onion or chopped chives.
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard – Mustard adds a delightful tang to the dressing! I recommend using Dijon over yellow mustard - it just adds the best flavor.
- ¼ teaspoon each, Salt & Pepper – Or according to your taste! You can also add any other seasonings you enjoy in your chicken salad (See Substitutions & Additions below).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🧂 Substitutions & Additions
Chicken salad is so versatile! There are endless variations that can be made with chicken salad and they’re all absolutely delicious.
Fruit & Nut – For one of my all-time favorites, add ¼ cup of chopped apples, sliced grapes, or dried cranberries, along with ¼ cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts.
Bacon Ranch – Instead of salt & pepper, add ½ - 1 teaspoon of ranch seasoning mix and 3 slices of crisped, chopped bacon. You can also add ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese if desired. This is one is super popular with kiddos!
Buffalo – Try adding 1-3 tablespoons of buffalo sauce for a delicious, spicy kick!
BBQ – For an unexpected and tasty addition, mix in 1-3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce.
Classic Southern – Do a Southern spin and add 1 or 2 chopped, hard-boiled eggs, 1 tablespoon of sweet relish, and ¼ teaspoon celery seeds.
Curry – Switch up chicken salad by adding 1 teaspoon of your favorite sweet or hot curry powder to the dressing! I also like to add ¼ cup each of dried cranberries and sliced almonds to this variation.
No Mayo – Make this healthy chicken salad even healthier with by substituting the mayonnaise for 1 ripe, mashed avocado! Add a squeeze of lemon to keep this delicious avocado chicken salad green!
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
No special equipment needed for this easy chicken salad recipe! It’ll come together in just two steps!
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- Combine Ingredients. Start by combining all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl: 2 cups of pulled, chopped rotisserie chicken, ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 diced green onion, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt & pepper (or to taste). Then, stir until fully incorporated.
- Taste & Serve. Next, taste your chicken salad and add more salt & pepper, if needed. Serve with your favorite accompaniments.
I love to serve my hearty, creamy rotisserie chicken salad as a sandwich, with crackers, or over mixed greens as a salad! However you decide to serve it, it’s going to be absolutely delicious! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Serve immediately or prepare ahead. You can serve this rotisserie chicken salad right away, but I prefer to place it in the fridge, covered, for up to an hour to let the flavors meld.
- Prefer tuna salad over chicken salad? You can make this easy recipe with a 1:1 substitution of drained, canned tuna! I like to use Italian tuna packed in oil for the freshest flavor.
- Use your favorite bread when making a sandwich! I love to use toasted sourdough or a toasted croissant for chicken salad, but feel free to use your favorite style of bread!
- Let the chicken cool before using. Hot chicken salad isn’t too tasty! I recommend letting your rotisserie chicken cool completely in the fridge overnight before making the chicken salad.
- Keep rotisserie chicken on hand! You can pull the meat from a rotisserie chicken and store in your freezer for up to 4 months. I love to keep shredded chicken on hand for any time I want a quick, easy meal.
🥡 Storing
Be sure to put any rotisserie chicken salad away immediately after serving to prevent spoiling. Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days in your refrigerator. It’ll be the best quality if eaten within 1 to 3 days.
Freezing Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Did you know you can freeze chicken salad? Store the chicken salad in an airtight container or freezer storage bag for up to 1 month.
When you’re getting ready to eat it, let it thaw in your refrigerator overnight to keep it cool. You never want to let chicken salad sit out at room temp for too long!
🍛 Other Amazing Recipes To Try
- Mushroom Swiss Burger
- Venison Chili
- Chicken And Peppers
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Dauphinoise Potatoes
❓ FAQ
The word “salad” has roots that are centuries old! It refers to any mix of cold ingredients that are covered in a dressing. This includes potato salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, even fruit salad! Chicken salad as we know it started in 1863 when cooked chicken was mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients, then served on bread as sandwiches. It took off in popularity and chicken salad became the lunchtime staple we know of today!
Feel free to use canned chicken to keep things easy! If preferred, you can also boil or bake your own chicken, just make sure to let it cool completely before using. I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for easy preparation.
My easy rotisserie chicken salad recipe yields 6 servings. This recipe is so awesome because you can easily scale it up to feed a crowd, or down if you’re just feeding yourself!
📋 Recipe
Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken (pulled and chopped)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 rib celery (chopped)
- 1 green onion (diced - or red onions, or chives)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (rotisserie chicken, mayonnaise, celery, green onion, dijon mustard, salt & pepper).2 cups rotisserie chicken, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 rib celery, 1 green onion, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- Taste your chicken salad and add more salt & pepper, if needed. Serve as a sandwich or over mixed greens as a salad.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
- You may serve immediately, or place it in the fridge, covered, for an hour to let the flavors meld together.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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