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Homemade Chicken Salad (+Video)

Easy Roasted Chicken Salad is the best chicken salad recipe ever. Mayonnaise, celery, onions and special seasoning makes this a huge favorite!

A DELICIOUSLY FLAVORFUL CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE

I’m pretty picky when it comes to chicken salad. I like to roast my own chicken because I can flavor it how I like it. But some good ole store-bought rotisserie chicken will work just fine in this!

creamy chicken salad on a croissant.

OVEN ROASTED GIVES IT FLAVOR

For me, a good chicken salad has to have a nice balance of being able to taste the moist roasted chicken along with the creaminess and taste of mayonnaise. This recipe strikes a good balance of both and the other add-in ingredients, like the celery and onion are all optional to suite your tastes. However, if you want a faster option, try using your air fryer! My Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe is a great substitute here.

The Best Roasted Chicken Salad recipe from The Country Cook shown in a croissant with some lettuce on a round white plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • whole chicken breasts (bone-in, with skin)
  • lemon pepper seasoning
  • olive oil
  • mayonnaise
  • sour cream
  • celery
  • red onion
  • salt and pepper
chicken breasts, mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, onion, lemon pepper, olive oil.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN SALAD:

Preheat oven to 350f degrees. On a baking sheet, place chicken breasts skin side up. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.

chicken breast on a baking pan seasoned with lemon pepper.

Cook for about 35-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Allow chicken to cool before continuing. Once chicken is cool, remove meat. You can save the bones and skin for chicken stock later, if you prefer. Cut the chicken up into bite size chunks. In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, onion and salt & pepper.

mayonnaise, sour cream mixed together in a bowl.

I usually add about 2 teaspoons of salt and maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add in diced chicken and stir. 

diced chicken added to mayonnaise, sour cream, celery and diced onion in a bowl.

Serve on your favorite bread or just a bed of lettuce or eat it all by itself!

The Best Chicken Salad served on a fresh croissants on small white plates.

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Originally published: August 2011
Updated and republished: June 2019

Best Roasted Chicken Salad

Homemade Chicken Salad (+Video)

Homemade Chicken Salad is the best chicken salad recipe ever. Mayonnaise, celery, onions and special seasoning makes this a huge favorite!
4.92 from 23 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 bone-in whole chicken breasts (with skin)
  • 1 Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
  • olive oil
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • ½ cup small red onion, finely diced (about 1/4 cup )
  • 2 teaspoons salt, (to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon pepper, (to taste)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. On a baking sheet, place chicken breasts skin side up.
  • Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.
  • Cook for about 35-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Allow chicken to cool before continuing.
  • Once chicken is cool, remove meat. Discard skin and bones and cut the chicken up into bite size chunks.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, onion and salt and pepper.
  • Add in diced chicken and stir.
  • Serve on your favorite bread or on a bed of lettuce or eat it all by itself!

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Keep refrigerated. Will last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • If you can’t find the bone-in chicken breasts then just use boneless. 
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 42g | Sodium: 343mg | Sugar: 1g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




37 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love using roasted chicken for all my chic dishes. I'm not a big chicken salad lover, but I must say Brandie, I do like that you put it on a buttery croissant. Yum!

  2. Sounds wonderful. I can't bring myself to turn the oven on in Austin, tho. My house might go up in flames – it's 103 outside…I love to add celery to my chicken salad. The crunch is soooo good. (:

  3. 5 stars
    Mmmmm…chicken salad with roasted chicken is the best! Yours looks just perfect~

    PS…I have the same poetry skills 😉

  4. 5 stars
    I have to tell you that I had the best chicken salad i've ever eaten the other night at a restaurant. They used smoked chicken and it gave it so much flavor!

  5. Hehe! Love the poem Bran! Awesome! And this recipe looks incredible! I love chicken salad and was just thinking to myself yesterday that I should whip some up, now I'm thinking some croissants too… Yum!

  6. 5 stars
    Your chicken salad on a croissant looks soooo good! I love chicken salad with grapes. I'm sure dried cranberries would be a nice addition, too. The husband doesn't care much for mayo, so I often sub a little mayo for nonfat plain yogurt; it's just as creamy and a whole lot less fattening! Thanks for sharing your take. 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    Fruit and nuts are welcome to join in the fun on my grilled chicken salads; but, I'm a "no fruit or nuts in my mixed up with mayo chicken salad" kind of gal. I am craving chicken salad now. I think that is going on the menu for the day. Thanks, Brandie! Have a great week!

  8. That looks just fantastic. Your recipes are just the best. I cannot wait to try this one out. Come over and visit us today. We have a wonderful country rib recipe. Yum.

  9. My mouth is watering over this recipe. Reminds me of a coffee place that my mama would take me to and we'd split a chicken salad sandwich. Need to make this soon. Perfect for lunch. Yummy!

  10. Fruit and nuts are welcome to join in the fun on my grilled chicken salads; but, I'm a "no fruit or nuts in my mixed up with mayo chicken salad" kind of gal. I am craving chicken salad now. I think that is going on the menu for the day. Thanks, Brandie! Have a great week!