This easy chicken salad recipe has been a weekly necessity at our house through the spring.
My girls started playing softball this year and no one told me what that meant exactly….
Twice weekly practices.
From 6:15-7:30pm.
Don’t even get me started on the gear….
I’ll stay focused on the food and logistics for this post.
This easy chicken salad recipe is what has gotten us through it.
Easy Chicken Salad: Make Ahead Recipe
I can make it ahead of time.
Usually from leftover chicken breast from a roast chicken dinner we had the night before.
I just save the breast meat, make sure I have the other ingredients on hand (at least celery, green onion, lemon, Primal Kitchen mayo).
Then at some point – usually while I’m making breakfast or lunch (when the kitchen’s already a mess) I throw it together.
Then it sits in the fridge until we’re home and ready to eat.
Then all I have to do is pull it out and serve with crackers, romaine lettuce, whatever else we happen to have…
It gets everyone fed and out the door on time.
Shredded Chicken Salad FTW
Even easier—everyone’s been liking the shredded version.
I put the breast meat in my KitchenAid mixer (nice this kitchen gadget has a new job besides compost collector these days!).
I use the paddle attachment and set the mixer on low speed for just a few minutes until the chicken is shredded into bite sized pieces.
I keep the chicken in the mixer bowl and to that add the other ingredients: diced green onion (3-4 onions), diced celery (3-4 stalks), a large dollop of mayo (I prefer Primal Kitchen), a squirt of Dijon mustard, and juice of 1/4 of lemon.
Sometimes we change it up – I’ll add in diced apples or cut grapes.
You could get fancy and change up the flavor (eg. curried chicken salad, tarragon chicken salad, apricot chicken salad, etc.)
So many options!
I mix everything up with a large mixing spoon until it’s well combined.
Serving Easy Chicken Salad
For the kids, if I don’t add apple to the mix, I’ll dice or slice some up on the side.
They usually like to eat it plain and I put a couple of small pieces of romaine (they like the inner pieces that are more stalk, less leaf so they’re crunchier) on the side — sometimes they’ll scoop in the chicken salad and make little chicken salad lettuce boats.
Sometimes we do carrot sticks. Sometimes crackers.
For me, I like to do a chicken salad lettuce wrap/cup.
The combo of the cool chicken salad with the crisp lettuce is so fresh and delicious.
Easy Weeknight Dinner
This meal feels like my secret weapon for those extra chaotic nights and weeks when you otherwise might think the only option is a drive thru.
All it takes is a little forethought and planning.
Having leftover chicken to work with is clutch.
I highly recommend this to anyone shuffling kids to activities, practices, summer camps, etc.
And if you want more tips and tricks—heck a whole system—that takes the stress out of dinner time…
Check out So Flippin’ Easy—my method that simplifies healthy cooking and gets dinner on the table in under 10 minutes every night of the week.
If you’re tired of hearing “what’s for dinner?” and want something that works, eliminates dinner stress, and gets everyone eating more real food—get a free taste of SFE here.
- 2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 green onions, diced
- ⅓ cup mayo (Primal Kitchen)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ lemon juiced
- sea salt
- black pepper
- Shred or dice chicken breast.
- Mix in celery and green onion.
- Add mayo, Dijon, lemon, salt, pepper.
- Stir together until mixed well.
- Serve with romaine, green leaf, or butter lettuce.
P.S. Want more tips and tricks—heck a whole system—that takes the stress out of dinner time… Check out So Flippin’ Easy—my method that simplifies healthy cooking and gets dinner on the table in under 10 minutes every night of the week.
If you’re tired of hearing “what’s for dinner?” and want something that works, eliminates dinner stress, and gets everyone eating more real food—get a free taste of SFE here.
The content in this post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always check with your primary care provider before changing your diet, starting a new supplement, or protocol.
