Best Chicken Salad Recipes

Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe

Chicken Caesar salad ingredients:

- 4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on

- 1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces

- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped

- Olive oil

- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 12 thin slices pancetta or bacon

- 1/4 clove peeled garlic

- 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained

- 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve

- 1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche

- 1 lemon, juiced

- Extra-virgin olive oil

- 2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded

Chicken caesar salad preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven.

After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they're cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly.

Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings.

Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

Chicken salad sandwich ingredients:

- 3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped

- 1 or stalks celery, chopped- about 3/4 cup

- 2 green onions, chopped

- 1/2 cup seedless grapes, halved

- 3/4 cup dried cranberries

- 3/4 cup salad dressing, such as Miracle Whip brand

- 2 Tablespoons coleslaw dressing (Marzetti's is good)

- 1 teaspoon each- paprika and seasoning salt

- Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Chicken salad sandwich preparation:

Simply mix everything together well. Chill for at least one hour before serving. It tastes much better if allowed to chill overnight.

Serve on toasted bread, croissants, or lettuce leaves. This easy chicken salad recipe also tastes great in pita pockets or hollowed tomato cups. Also try different breads such as Ciabatta or raisin bread.

Greek Chicken Salad Recipe

Greek chicken sald ingredients:

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

- Cooking spray

- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

- 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

- 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

- 2 teaspoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

- 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

- 1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber

- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

- 6 pitted kalamata olives, halved

- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Greek chicken salad recipe preparation:

Combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and spice mixture; sauté until chicken is done. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon juice; stir. Remove from pan.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Place 2 1/2 cups of lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.

Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

Chinese chicken salad ingredients:

- 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

- 2 oranges

- About 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

- 4 fresh wonton wrappers, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

- 6 cups finely shredded cabbage

- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken

- Spicy soy-ginger dressing (recipe follows)

- 1 large avocado, cubed

- 4 green onions (including green tops), sliced diagonally

- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Chinese chicken salad preparation:

In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 quart water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Cut off and discard ends from oranges. Following the curve of the fruit, cut off peel and outer membrane. Slice oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then cut these rounds into quarters. Set aside.

Pour the vegetable oil into a 3- to 4-quart pan (the oil should be about 1/2 inch deep) and set over medium-high heat. When oil reaches 350°, add wonton strips and fry, stirring, until golden brown on both sides, about 30 seconds total. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.

In a large serving bowl, toss the cabbage, chicken, and asparagus with the dressing. Top with avocado, orange slices, and wonton strips, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Spicy soy-ginger dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Asian red chile sauce (such as Sriracha), and 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt to taste.

Fruity Chicken Salad Recipe

This tasty fruited chicken salad recipe contains chopped peaches, grapes, sour cream, mayonnaise, and chicken.

Fruity chicken salad ingredients:

- 2 cups chicken, cooked, cubed

- 3/4 cup celery, sliced

- 3/4 cup seedless grapes, green, sliced

- 3/4 cup fresh peeled and cubed peaches

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- seasoning salt, to taste

Fruty chicken salad preparation:

In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, grapes, and peaches; toss gently. Mix mayonnaise and sour cream together and pour over the salad. Add seasoning salt and mix gently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use. Garnish with fresh sliced peaches, whole grapes, and parsley if desired.

Chicken and Rice Salad Recipe

Chicken and rice salad ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 cup mayonnaise

- 1 1/2 tablespoons pimiento, diced

- 1/4 teaspoon pepper

- 1 1/2 cups cooked English peas

- 1 1/2 cups celery, diced

- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced

- salad greens

- pimiento-stuffed olives, for garnish

Chicken and rice salad preparation:

Combine mayonnaise, pimiento, pepper, and salt. Add celery, peas, chicken and cooled rice. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve on salad greens; garnish with sliced olives.

Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

Crunchy vegetables and tender chicken breasts tossed in a tangy vinaigrette make a refreshing main-dish salad. If you poach the chicken yourself, reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid to make the dressing.

Asian chicken salad ingredients:

- 1/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon(s) rice-wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) chile-garlic sauce (see Ingredient notes)
- 3 tablespoon(s) canola oil
- 1 tablespoon(s) minced fresh ginger
- 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon(s) tahini paste
- 3/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, or reserved chicken-poaching liquid
- 2 tablespoon(s) sesame seeds
- 8 cup(s) shredded napa cabbage (1 small head; see Ingredient notes)
- 1 1/2 cup(s) grated carrots (2-3 medium)
- 5 radishes, sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup(s) chopped scallions
- 3 1/2 cup(s) shredded skinless cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

Asian chicken salad preparation:

To prepare dressing: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and chile-garlic sauce in a glass measuring cup; stir to blend. Heat canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan; bring to a simmer. Whisk in tahini and broth (or poaching liquid); cook until reduced slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool.

To prepare salad: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.

Combine cabbage, carrots, radishes, scallions and chicken in a large shallow bowl. Stir dressing to recombine and drizzle over the salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

Chicken Curry Salad Recipe

Chicken curry salad ingredients:

- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- Salt
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 heaping Tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 apple (tart or sweet, your preference), peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (just lightly packed)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise optional

Chicken curry salad preparation:

Heat olive oil on medium/medium-high heat in a thick-bottomed sauté pan. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle some salt on the chicken pieces while cooking. Check doneness by removing the thickest piece and cutting it in half. If it is still pink in the middle, keep cooking. Try not to overcook the chicken or it will be dry. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon, set aside in a bowl.

Add yellow onion and cook. After a few minutes, when the onions are beginning to get translucent, add 2 heaping tablespoons of yellow curry powder. Cook a few minutes more, stirring frequently. If the curry sticks to the bottom or the mixture gets dry, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. As you stir, scrape up the stuck curry bits. Add raisins, and cook, stirring another minute. (If adding optional mayonnaise, remove curry from heat and mix in mayo.) Add raisin and onion mixture to chicken and mix well, coating the chicken pieces with the curry infused olive oil. Refrigerate until cool. At this point you can make the salad a day a head of time.

When you are ready to serve the chicken curry salad, mix in the apple, green onions, and cilantro.

Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe

This smoked chicken salad is my personal favorite. It is easy to assemble, and makes use of any smoked chicken leftovers that you might have. In fact, even if you don't have any smoked chicken or BBQ chicken leftovers, you can make this with store bought rotisserie birds, or poach a breast or two and use that.

This chicken salad can be great made in a large quantity for a ladies luncheon as this pile of greens has it all. The recipe below is directly scalable. Feel free to substitute ingredients. However, the lettuce you use should be somewhat "sturdy" like the romaine used below, and NEVER, NEVER use wet lettuce!

Smoked chicken salad ingredients:

- 5 oz. romaine lettuce cut

- 1/4 cup bacon bits

- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes

- 1/4 avocado, cut into chunks

- 1/4 cup black beans, black eyed peas, or other bean

- 4 oz. smoked chicken cut into cubes

- BBQ sauce

- 2 oz. ranch dressing

- Tortilla stings

Smoked chicken salad preparation:

Toss chicken with BBQ sauce until very moistened and loose. This sauce will serve to mix with the ranch dressing so yo need a bit extra.

Warm the chicken mixture.

Toss all of the ingredients except the chicken and strings. Put on a chilled plate. Top with chicken mixture. Make a "nest" of strings on top.

Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

Caesar salad dressing ingredients:

- 3-4 anchovies - flat (or anchovy paste from tube, about 2 inches squeezed out)

- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

- 1 tbsp. lemon juice

- 1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

- 1 lg. clove garlic, minced

- 1/2 c. olive oil

- 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

Caesar salad dressing preparation:

Mash anchovies; add next 5 ingredients. Stir in olive oil real slow. Then add grated Parmesan cheese. Add to Romaine lettuce and croutons.

Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe

Walnut chicken salad recipe ingredients:

- 4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

- 3 tablespoons buttermilk

- 1 cup finely ground walnuts

- 1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 6 cups torn mixed salad greens

- 4 cups torn fresh spinach

- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend

- 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

- Buttermilk-Honey Dressing

Walnut chicken salad recipe preparation:

Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush buttermilk evenly over chicken.

Combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, and salt in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in mixture.

Pour oil into a large skillet; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Cut chicken crosswise into thin slices.

Combine salad greens and spinach, and arrange on each of 4 individual plates. Sprinkle with cheese, and top with tomato halves and chicken. Serve with Buttermilk-Honey Dressing on the side.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

Chicken caesar pasta salad ingredients:

- 3-4 chopped boneless chicken breasts

- Caesar or Italian Caesar salad dressing

- 2 cups broccoli florets

- handful of cherry tomatoes

- 1 red bell pepper

- 4 cups Rotel pasta noodles

- 1 tsp. olive or vegetable oil

Chicken caesar pasta salad preparation:

Cook chicken breasts until they are tender and chop into bite size pieces.

Cook Rotel noodles in boiling water for 7 minutes or until tender in water with oil.

Steam broccoli florets (over stove or in microwave) until slightly tender (do not overcook!).

Cut tomatoes in halves and wash thoroughly.

Mix noodles, chicken breasts, broccoli and optional ingredients (bell pepper and tomatoes). Drizzle salad dressing until pasta is slightly covered and stir salad until covered in dressing.

Serve the chicken caesar pasta salad either chilled or warm.