I have been SO HUNGRY for a great chicken salad sandwich lately, and I don’t have a deli nearby that makes it quite how I like it. So I packed up the kiddo, took her to the store to grab my ingredients, and got to work. It was about as ambitious as I’ve been about dinner in at least 2 weeks.
Well there was a bit of an issue when I got home and realized I had no mayo (yes, after I had JUST been at the store, it was a whole to-do with laments over social media, photos and suggestions exchanged, and ultimately a wonderful friend actually bringing some mayo to my house to placate my chicken salad craving) but that’s really a whole other story… before I digress too much, I will just say, it was worth persevering, because I ultimately ate the entire batch.
Oh yes, I did. Because,well – let me show you:
So delicious. Darn it, now I’m hungry for it again.
Anyway – I’m going to share the official recipe the way I make it for company, and it’s ALWAYS a hit! It’s the most crowd-friendly when prepared this way, but like any good recipe (especially a salad recipe), certain additions and substitutions can give it a wonderful twist to suit your family. I’ve got suggestions at the end for that.
- 3 c. cooked and diced leftover chicken (this is also approximately how much one deli rotisserie chicken yields)
- 1 c. red seedless grapes, halved
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. seasoned salt (We use Lawry's)
- ½ c. mayonnaise (give or take - depending how creamy you like your salad)
- Cook your chicken using whatever method you prefer - or, do what I do and grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli and use all that meat. Dice it up.
- Wash your grapes and celery, halve the grapes and dice the celery. Stir them into your diced chicken and set this all aside.
- Mix the onion powder and seasoned salt into the mayo really well, then stir in your chicken mixture.
- Chill until ready to serve, then add to croissant rolls. For parties and pot lucks, I like to serve on mini croissants. For each batch, you'll need 12 mini croissants or 6 regular sized croissants.
Optionally, you can add 1 c. pecans or walnuts if you know that everyone likes nuts and doesn’t have an allergy, and you can also substitute 1/2 c. chopped onion for the onion powder if your family enjoys fresh onion (mine does not, but you still want a little onion to help flavor). So we stick to the very basics: grapes and celery.
If you are a Miracle Whip fan, you can absolutely use Miracle Whip instead of mayo and seasoned salt. I find that people either love Miracle Whip or hate it, but rarely does anyone object to mayo, so I stick to mayo when I’m serving others. I also have to be honest… when I know I’m likely to be the only one eating it… I also add 2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish to my batch. That’s not a popular addition with a lot of people, though. ;)
Hope you enjoy – this is a great recipe for pot lucks and showers, and doubles or triples very easily. Just multiply it by however many you need to serve!
This chicken salad is yummy! Was a bit skeptical about the season salt, but it works :)
Will definitely make again…..
Add diced apples..yum!
Oh wow! I usually use raisins, but grapes look even yummier!
This is on my menu for this weekend! :D
I love how pretty this is AND it looks super delish! I am pinning! It’s actually going to be on my menu for my neighborhood luncheon I throw every year for all the moms on the last day of school. They will love it1
Yum! I love me some chicken salad!!
Sounds really good!! I love grapes in my chicken salad and am so glad they’re back in season!
Okay, it’s only 10:30 here now and I’m already hungry for lunch! This looks so delish and now I will be craving chicken salad until I get some ;) Thanks for the recipe!!!
Trying adding some diced up apples to it! This is the exact way we eat chicken salad but we add apples! Absolutely delicious!!!!
This looks delicious!
I would love for you to join my Link Up this week
This is my favorite way to eat Chicken Salad as well!! Mmmmmm I think I might need to make some now!!
Have you tried adding pineapple tidbits? I have a very similar recipe that I make any time grapes are on sale and add the pineapple, too. It adds to the whole fruity bit to make a whole lot of yumminess!
I have a great chicken salad recipe with curry but today I think I’ll make this one. I feel I need to make a change and this sounds like a good thing to do. Thanks.
What a super yummy recipe, Adrianne! I love chicken salad but never make it….until now, that is! :)