Creamy, luscious, tangy, flavorful, slightly sweet and just the right kind of crunchy. Plus, it is ridiculously easy to boot! How to Make Southern Style Chicken Salad with Rotisserie Chicken is going to become your “go to” chicken salad recipe for all time. I know it’s mine!
Amazingly, you will be eating this delectable southern chicken salad in less than 15 minutes and it will be hard to make it out of the house if you are going to take it to a potluck. You better double the recipe just in case.
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Salad on a toasted Croissant!
WHY THIS SOUTHERN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE WORKS.
- It’s easy to assemble.
- Use any leftover chicken you have on hand OR use rotisserie chicken, it’s delicious!
- The other ingredients you probably have laying around the pantry.
- It’s the perfect balance of sweet, savory, creamy and tangy.
Here’s How to Make Southern Style Chicken Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
STEP 1.
collect your ingredients…
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
STEP 2.
Slice and dice everything…
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
STEP 3.
Put it all in a large bowl and gently mix together….
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
STEP 4.
Season with Salt and Pepper and Serve it up!….
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions about Chicken Salad (FAQ’s)
WHAT DO I PUT IN A SOUTHERN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE?
The following elements make for a perfect delicious easy rotisserie chicken salad or southern chicken salad recipe.
The list of ingredients for any chicken salad is as long as you like, but if you follow these general guidelines, you’ll be doing great with your easy rotisserie chicken salad! I would love to hear about your favorite ingredients for easy rotisserie chicken salad! Leave me a comment in the comment section (end of the post) and tell me all about what YOU put in easy rotisserie chicken salad!
1. Flavorful SOUTHERN Chicken! (pick one)
- Home Roasted Chicken
- Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken
- Poached chicken breast
2. Creaminess (pick one or mix together)
- Mayo – homemade or store bought
- Yogurt – a thick plain greek yogurt is best OR you can mix with regular mayo for a slightly lighter chicken salad sandwich.
3. Sweetness (pick one or two)
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Apples
- Raisins
- Craisins
4. Tartness (sour) (pick one)
- Lemon juice
- Splash of vinegar
- Pickle relish (sweet and sour)
5. Crunch (pick one or two)
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Celery
- Green onion
- Crunchy bacon
6. Seasoning (at least use salt and pepper but you can pick a few others as well)
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion Powder
- Cumin Powder
- Curry Powder
- Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
HOW CAN I PREPARE A SOUTHERN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE?
No worries, just follow the basic rules above, gently mix your easy rotisserie chicken salad and you’ll be fine. If you aren’t sure, follow my recipe below for southern chicken salad recipe and if there is something you don’t like, simply substitute something you DO like in the same category.
Mix it all together in the same bowl and you’ll have a winning easy rotisserie chicken salad on your hands!
You might really want to try this chicken sandwich too! Best Cheesy Chicken Submarine Sandwich Recipe (Easy)
HOW MANY DAYS CAN I KEEP SOUTHERN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE ?
- Don’t keep easy rotisserie chicken salad more than 5 days in the fridge.
- If you set easy rotisserie chicken salad out on the counter and it stays out for more than 30 minutes at a time, then reduce the number of days you keep it in the fridge.
- If easy rotisserie chicken salad doesn’t pass the sniff test after a few days – throw it out.
Can I Freeze Chicken Salad?
No, you can not freeze chicken salad because of the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise separates when it is frozen and there is not putting it together again (like humpty dumpty).
However, you CAN put everything in EXCEPT the mayo and the crunchy bits of veggies and freeze THAT. On thawing, just add the mayo and the crunchy bits! TADA! Chicken salad!
How Do You Serve Chicken Salad?
There are SO MANY WAYS to serve a great chicken salad!
Serve it…
- on a bed of lettuce
- in a bowl with crackers surrounding it.
- As a sandwich!
- In a bread bowl
- With tortilla or frito scoops.
- As a filling for celery.
- On a tortilla wrap.
- Wrap it up in a tortilla wrap and then cut into disks for a party!
Tell me what ideas you have by leaving a comment below!
Do I Have to Use Rotisserie Chicken?
No, you can poach your own chicken to make a perfect chicken salad!
What Can Be Served With Chicken Salad Sandwiches?
Try…
How Much Chicken Do I Need Per Person for Chicken Salad?
If you are making this recipe, you will want to count on a AT LEAST a half pound of rotisserie chicken per person.
HERE ARE MY OWN FAVORITE MIXING BOWLS
(affiliate link – you can click the photo below to go straight through to amazon to check it out). These are lightweight, so they don’t hurt my wrists. Small and Medium bowl too. They stack beautifully and clean up easily. I used to LOVE pyrex and stoneware, I still do, but they are so very heavy. These are much more practical. Plus, no worries of plastic leaking off into your food!
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR DELICIOUS SOUTHERN CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE.
- Use fully cooked fresh chicken for this dish.
- Always use a combination of the flavors indicated above (chicken, creamy, sweet, sour, crunchy and seasoning) and you’ll be golden
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or other greens (especially terrific with bitter greens) with crackers.
- Serve on a toasted bun – something with some toothiness is wonderful – like a pretzel bun or a croissant is perfect.
- When you toast the bun, add just a smidge of butter and a sprinkle of salt for extra crispiness. You can thank me later for that little tip!
- If you can get your hands on a slice of fresh tomato – hello tomato with this chicken salad!
- French Fries too – just saying. Total fat? Nawwww.
The Flavorings
- The grapes make a difference – use the sweetest dark purple seedless grapes you can find, make sure to taste them at the grocery before buying. Those fingerling grapes are almost always sweet, if you can find them.
- Cumin and curry are not a flavor that everyone enjoys – taste it as you go.
- Salt and pepper are a must. MUST.
- PRO TIP: If you allow this easy rotisserie chicken salad to sit in the fridge, covered of course, for a few hours – the flavors have time to meld, marry and generally get to know each other – its a good thing. Let them become friends before you serve up the easy rotisserie chicken salad.
If You Enjoyed This Chicken Recipe, You Might Also Enjoy…
Southwest Chipotle Chicken Salad
Creamy Spinach Stuffed Pimento Cheese Chicken
YA’LL HELP ME OUT
Please leave me a 5 star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 comment below in the comment section , all right? I would LOVE to know if you made this recipe or even if you are planning to! Of course, head on over to Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram and tag me with some photos of your creation!
I can’t wait!
Ya’ll know I love your comments!!
Southern Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ Rotisserie Chicken - chopped or shredded
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 stalk of celery - chopped small
- 1 cup dark purple grapes - the sweetest you can find - cut in half
- 1 tsp kosher salt - plus more per taste
- 1 tsp black cracked pepper - plus more per taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients by chopping, slicing or whatever is required.
- Place all ingredients in a medium sized bowl
- Mix gently with a rubber spatula
- Serve
Notes
- Use fully cooked fresh chicken for this dish.
- Always use a combination of the flavors indicated above (chicken, creamy, sweet, sour, crunchy and seasoning) and you’ll be golden
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or other greens (especially terrific with bitter greens) with crackers.
- Serve on a toasted bun - something with some toothiness is wonderful - like a pretzel bun or a croissant is perfect.
- When you toast the bun, add just a smidge of butter and a sprinkle of salt for extra crispiness. You can thank me later for that little tip!
- If you can get your hands on a slice of fresh tomato - hello tomato with this chicken salad!
- French Fries too - just saying. Total fat? Nawwww.
The Flavorings
- The grapes make a difference - use the sweetest dark purple seedless grapes you can find, make sure to taste them at the grocery before buying. Those fingerling grapes are almost always sweet, if you can find them.
- Cumin and curry are not a flavor that everyone enjoys - taste it as you go.
- Salt and pepper are a must. MUST.
- PRO TIP: If you allow this easy rotisserie chicken salad to sit in the fridge, covered of course, for a few hours - the flavors have time to meld, marry and generally get to know each other - its a good thing. Let them become friends before you serve up the easy rotisserie chicken salad.
- Change up the flavors by using different types of fruit like:
- Pineapple
- Apples
- Pear
- Add some other savory flavors like chives or scallions.
Nutrition
***This post was originally made on Loaves and Dishes on March 18, 2108 and has been updated with new information, video, photos, etc. **
A VERSE TO SHARE
I’m just wondering, does ANYONE besides me ever read the New Testament and think of Jesus and the disciples as if they were a group of fellas that you know personally? I do. All the time.
I say in my own head while reading about the woman at the well, “Jesus an ‘em went over to Sandy Ridge and Jesus talked to a woman at the Dollar General and now EVERYONE from Sandy Ridge to Danbury knows all about what happened”.
Jesus gets REAL, real fast this way!
Try it sometime, think about the story you are reading in your own hyper-local terms and see what happens. Think of Jesus and ‘em as wearing jeans, boots and a flannel shirt and driving around in their pickup trucks (I’m making my story up for rural North Carolina, you make up your story to suit your own area).
I mean NO disregard to Jesus or the disciples. I LOVE them. This way of thinking simply helps me think of Jesus in terms of someone who is REAL in my own life.
Jesus is very real to me.
Check out John 4: 7-26 and see if you can make it local to you….
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)….
Sue DeVore
Monday 22nd of November 2021
Awesome Recipe using my leftover Costco rotisserie chicken breasts. I used almonds because those are the only nuts I had. And I used celery and sunflower seeds as well. I also used pickled jalapeno juice. Absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing. And I love the Lord too.
Wendi Spraker
Tuesday 23rd of November 2021
Pickle juice (and the other additions) sound perfect! :)
Sharon
Tuesday 19th of November 2019
😊great!
Wendi Spraker
Tuesday 19th of November 2019
Thanks Sharon!
Michelle
Sunday 24th of March 2019
I enjoy your writing as much as I do your recipes. I love the story about Jesus being so real to you that you can imagine him going to Dollar General & sharing his great love for us. You are a gifted lady!
Wendi Spraker
Sunday 24th of March 2019
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for the sweet comment. I DO believe Jesus is with us, even at the ol DG. :).
MommaBear
Saturday 2nd of February 2019
I would definitely update the photo. That red leaf lettuce really ruins the whole image. Recipe sounds great though!
Wendi Spraker
Sunday 3rd of February 2019
Enjoy the chicken salad MommaBear and I wish you a blessed weekend as well.
Moxie
Monday 19th of March 2018
This is so simple! The taste of the chicken with those grapes is fantastic! The hard part is smelling that delicious chicken all the way home from the grocery! It is all I can do to not tear into it in the car!
Wendi Spraker
Monday 19th of March 2018
The chicken does smell SO GOOD when you are driving home! I can sympathize!