My youngest son Sean loves chicken salad sandwiches so I want to share the easy southern chicken salad recipe that we use.
I (now) call this sandwich “Melinda’s chicken salad” because she is one of my dear friends who commented, “Now, THAT is a chicken salad sandwich!” after I posted an image of a chicken salad sandwich on Facebook. Shortly after, she passed away unexpectedly. I think of her smiling, encouraging personality every time that I make this dish now.
When I initially shared this recipe, my family was going to a family reunion and my kids were so excited. They had been bouncing off the wall (and each other!), so I needed to separate them for my sanity’s sake.
I asked Sean to help me write down the recipe for their favorite summer lunch…chicken salad sandwiches. He was such a great little assistant – jotting down notes and taste testing. It gave the boys’ a break from each other for a little while and we had a great lunch too.
In any event, this is the recipe that we use. Sometimes, we include the dill and red onion. Sometimes, we don’t. We also rarely add salt and pepper, because the leftover chicken (a combination of white and dark meat) is usually flavorful.
The great thing about this recipe is that it is easy to adjust to your family’s taste buds. If you can make this a few hours before you are ready to eat it, it’s even better BUT you can eat it right away in a pinch (like we did that day).
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe Without Celery
Coleman’s Easy Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chicken (skin and bones removed), cooled and diced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tsp mustard
- 3 tsp sweet pickle relish
- 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp dried dill)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, gently mix everything together well.
2. Chill and serve.
My family doesn’t especially like fruit or nuts in our chicken salad, but if your family does, below are some great options:
*Fruit: seedless grapes (halved) or diced apples
*Nuts: cashews, walnuts or pecans
Also, some traditional southern-style chicken salads include a chopped, hard-boiled egg, I leave the egg out in this recipe but feel free to add it if you like.
Besides being super easy, the great thing about this chicken salad is that it can be used in a variety of dishes. We mainly eat it in sandwiches or romaine wraps, but I have also mixed chicken salad in with tri-color pasta for a nice, light summer lunch or dinner. However you eat it, enjoy!
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{This post has been updated and republished. It was originally posted on August 8, 2013.}