Classic Chicken Salad

Our classic chicken salad recipe is a tried-and-true winner. Perfectly portioned for one person, it combines cooked chicken with mayonnaise, mustard, a squeeze of lemon, and crunchy additions like minced red onion, parsley, and celery. It works just as well with roast chicken, a rotisserie bird, or poached meat leftover from making soup and is delicious spooned onto a piece of bread or a bed of mixed greens. You’ll only need about 10 minutes to stir it together, so it's perfect for a quick lunch or easy dinner on a night when you don’t feel like cooking. One taste and you’ll understand why Martha’s simple version has stood the test of time.

The 3 Components of Top Tier Chicken Salad

Chicken salad may be a simple, quick meal, but paying attention to the mix-ins, dressing, and—of course—the chicken itself will take this classic from good to great.

Chicken: The beauty of chicken salad is that you can use almost any type of cooked chicken, from poached to grilled to roasted (There are even some delicious chicken salad recipes out there that use fried chicken.) For our recipe, you can use any combination of cooked white and dark meat, just be sure to remove the skin first for the best texture. We prefer to dice the chicken, rather than shred it, for this recipe but you can certainly use shredded chicken if you'd prefer.

Mix-ins: Once you've gotten the chicken sorted, it's all about the mix-ins. For our classic chicken salad, we look to celery and red onion, plus chopped parsley for a fresh, herby boost. Mincing the onion and celery, rather than chopping them into larger chunks, will ensure the pieces are evenly distributed throughout the mixture for just the right amount of crunch in every bite.

Dressing: A creamy element—in this case, mayonnaise—is essential for binding the chicken salad mixture and keeping it from becoming too dry. For tangy brightness, we add lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of hot sauce.

How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad

If you don't have leftover chicken available but still want to make chicken salad, we recommend poaching boneless breasts to keep them moist and juicy. Our method involves boiling chicken in the poaching liquid for a few minutes, then removing the pan from the burner and letting the meat finish cooking gently in the residual heat.

Rather than using plain water, you can flavor the poaching liquid with aromatics like onion or garlic, black peppercorns, fresh herbs like thyme or parsley, and/or a splash of white wine. For even more flavor, try replacing the water with chicken broth or stock.