Learn how to make 3 delicious chicken salad recipe variations- classic, cobb, and southwest chicken salad. All of these delicious and flavorful chicken salad recipes are packed full of flavor from fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Quick And Easy Summer Dinner
Chicken salad is one of of our go-to meals in the summer. When it’s hot and humid outside, a lot of times you don’t want to eat a hot meal, or bake something in the oven to heat up your house. So what I like to do is cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, which I recently shared in a video, then just make a whole bunch of chicken salad.
Once I have my chicken done (or while the chicken is cooking), I make up a batch of my avocado oil mayo. If you haven’t checked out that recipe, it is so much easier than you’re thinking. It is just so simple to make, and never goes wrong. You just throw everything into a jar, put in the immersion blender, and boom, you got it.
After all that, I can whip up a ton of chicken salad, and we can eat that and not have to worry about cooking on those busy summer days when we like to be outside.
In the summer, we would much rather be hanging out at the pool than having to worry about dinner. I don’t know about you, but summers always seem so busy.
We are always running around outside, working on projects (like building the new playhouse), gardening, what have you.
These chicken salad recipes make the best on-the-go lunch. Just add them to some sourdough English muffins and you are set. So good.
Our family has always loved the classic chicken salad recipe, but since starting to make the Southwest chicken salad, that has become our absolute favorite.
Probably because everyone loves Mexican dishes in our family, and I know if we make a southwest version, everyone will inhale it with no complaints.
Totally winning
Tips for making chicken salad
- If there is a vegetable your kids don’t like, dice it up really finely. My kids are not fans of onion, so I dice it really small and they eat it up.
- If you are adding avocados to your chicken salad, add them last so they don’t get as smushed.
- Chicken salad is very versatile; try adding your own variations with different fresh vegetables.
- Adding fresh herbs really give these recipes that extra pop of flavor.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Tools you will need:
Instant Pot: for making the whole chicken
Large bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon
Cutting board
Knife
Southwest Chicken Salad Ingredients:
- 1/2 of a whole chicken picked from the bones and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole Avocado, diced
- Lime juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 onions, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 2 tbs cilantro
- 1/2 cup Homemade mayo
- 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon
How To Make Southwest Chicken Salad
- Shred half of cooked whole chicken and place in a large bowl.
- Add mayo, seasonings, lime juice, and give it a good stir.
- Toss in bell pepper, cilantro, onion, tomato, and bacon. Mix thoroughly.
- Add in the avocado and gently fold in.
- For the adults, top with a few fermented jalapenos.
How To Make Chicken Salad 3 Ways Video
Classic Chicken Salad With Grapes Recipe Card
Classic Chicken Salad
Delicious and creamy classic chicken salad with grapes makes the perfect summer meal
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a whole chicken picked from the bones and cooled
- 1/2 cup grapes, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1/2 cup Homemade mayo
- salt
Instructions
- Shred half a whole chicken.
- Add in mayo, salt, and seasonings. Mix.
- Throw in diced onions, grapes, celery, and pecans. Mix.
Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe Card
Southwest Chicken Salad
Tasty twist on a classic, this southwest chicken salad is made with creamy cilantro and lime avocado mayo and packed with veggies and bacon.
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a whole chicken picked from the bones and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole Avocado, diced
- Lime juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 onions, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 2 tbs Cilantro
- 1/2 cup Homemade mayo
- 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon
Instructions
- Shred half of cooked whole chicken and place in a large bowl.
- Add mayo, seasonings, lime juice, and give it a good stir.
- Toss in bell pepper, cilantro, onion, tomato, and bacon. Mix.
- Add in the avocado and gently fold in.
- Serve.
Notes
If you don't want to make mayo from scratch (which I promise you is super simple) look for one made with avocado or olive oil.
Throw in a few fermented jalapeños for the adults.
Ideally you want to use an avocado that is not overly ripe so it keeps its shape.
Cobb Chicken Salad Recipe Card
Cobb Chicken Salad
Twist on a classic, this cobb chicken salad is packed full of all the best ingredients from a traditional chicken salad.
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a whole chicken picked from the bones
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup ham. diced
- 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
- 1 cup avocado mayo
- 1 whole avocado, diced
- Red onion, diced
- 1/2 pound bacon, crumbled
- 1 medium Tomatoes, diced
- 1 Avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional) you could also use dried.
Instructions
- Shred half of cooked whole chicken and place in a large bowl.
- Add mayo, seasonings, ham, onion, bacon, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and give it a good stir.
- Toss in fresh parsley and avocado and gently fold in.
How To Serve Chicken Salad:
Serve it on sourdough english muffins, sourdough bread, buns, tortillas, , or just by itself. You could also serve it on a bed of leaf lettuce. Or eat it as a dip with chips.
What types of ingredients can you add to chicken salad?
- Most veggies can be added to chicken salad as long as they are diced, onions, peppers, carrots, avocado, cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.
- You could even add fruit like grapes, apples, pears, mandarin oranges, etc.
- Nuts and seeds
- Herbs
- Lemon or lime juice
Find more of our dinnertime favorites:
Summer Meal Ideas -Healthy Summer Recipes
Healthy Quinoa Nachos Without Chips
Healthy One Pot Meals- Sourdough Skillet
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Cooking
What are your favorite ingredients to add to chicken salad?
Pin It For Later
Mary Anne says
Didn’t you say your kids love pickles? The lazy in me often takes the breast from a rotisserie chicken, chops the meat up and adds DILL relish and mayo. Quick and easy. Sweet relish is good too but sends my blood sugar sky high so I avoid. Adding grapes is one of my favorites too.
Brittney says
Hi Lisa, how many servings do you think this is? I want to make it for a friend for a meal train after her baby. Thanks! I’m thinking double the recipe for a family of 4?
Lisa says
It all depends on how big the whole chicken is you are using. I find you can get about 6 to 8 servings from it as is. But you could use a whole chicken for this instead of half and double the recipe if it doesn’t seem like enough.