The image looks like a classic creamy shredded chicken salad made with tender chicken, mayonnaise, crisp celery, herbs, and seasonings. This version is designed to give you the same thick, creamy, scoopable texture shown in the photo.
Recipe at a glance
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15–20 minutes
Chill: 30–60 minutes
Total: about 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
Serving size: about ¾ cup
Difficulty: Easy
Style: Creamy deli-style chicken salad
Ingredients
Chicken
900 g (2 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Creamy dressing
1 cup (240 g) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey, optional
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp black pepper
¼–½ tsp salt, to taste
Vegetables & herbs
1 cup finely diced celery — about 2–3 stalks
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
2–3 tbsp finely chopped green onion, optional
Optional additions
For extra flavor, you can add:
¼ cup finely diced sweet pickle
1–2 tbsp pickle juice
½ cup halved red or green grapes
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup toasted pecans or walnuts
¼ cup sliced almonds
½ tsp celery seed
For the version pictured, I’d keep the recipe simple and use chicken + celery + parsley + dill.
Step 1 — Cook the chicken
Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan or pot.
Cover with water or chicken broth.
Add:
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
Reduce the heat and cook until the chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F internally.
Depending on the thickness of the chicken, this usually takes approximately 12–20 minutes.
Don’t aggressively boil the chicken—the meat can become tough.
Remove the chicken and allow it to cool enough to handle.
Step 2 — Shred the chicken
For the texture shown in your photograph, don’t chop the chicken into tiny cubes.
Instead, shred it into thin pieces using:
two forks, or
your hands once it’s cool enough, or
a stand mixer on very low speed for a few seconds.
You want a mixture of fine shreds and slightly larger pieces.
This gives the salad that chunky-but-creamy deli texture.
Step 3 — Prepare the vegetables
Finely dice the celery.
The celery should be small enough to distribute throughout the chicken but large enough to provide a little crunch.
Finely chop:
parsley
dill
green onion, if using
Pat the celery dry if it is particularly wet.
Step 4 — Make the dressing
In a large bowl, combine:
mayonnaise
sour cream or Greek yogurt
Dijon mustard
lemon juice
apple cider vinegar
honey
garlic powder
onion powder
dried parsley
black pepper
salt
Whisk until completely smooth.
Taste it now.
You want the dressing to taste slightly stronger and more seasoned than you ultimately want, because the chicken will dilute the flavor.
Step 5 — Combine everything
Add the shredded chicken to the dressing.
Add:
diced celery
fresh parsley
dill
green onion
Fold everything together gently.
Don’t mash the chicken.
Step 6 — Chill
Cver the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the best flavor, refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
The chilling period allows the herbs and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.
Step 7 — Adjust the consistency
After chilling, check the texture.
Too thick?
Add:
1 tbsp mayonnaise, or
1 tbsp Greek yogurt/sour cream
at a time.
Too wet?
Add more shredded chicken.
You can also add a little finely diced celery.
Too bland?
Try adding a small amount of:
salt
lemon juice
Dijon mustard
black pepper
Add gradually.
How to serve it
This chicken salad is excellent served:
Sandwich
Put it between two slices of toasted bread with lettuce.
Croissant
Especially good with lettuce and tomato.
Wrap
Add chicken salad, lettuce and cucumber to a tortilla.
Lettuce cups
Spoon into romaine or butter lettuce leaves.
Crackers
Serve chilled as an appetizer.
Salad bowl
Serve over lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.
Meal prep
Divide into airtight containers for convenient lunches.
NUT INFORMATION & ALLERGEN GUIDE
Does the basic recipe contain nuts?
No.
The core recipe contains no peanuts or tree nuts.
However, nuts can easily be added to chicken salad.
Common choices are:
pecans
walnuts
almonds
cashews
pistachios
If you want the recipe to look and taste like the picture, nuts are optional and not necessary.
Peanut allergy
The basic recipe contains no peanuts.
However, check packaged mayonnaise, mustard, yogurt and seasonings for allergen/cross-contact statements if cooking for someone with a severe peanut allergy.
Tree-nut allergy
Don’t add:
walnuts
pecans
almonds
cashews
pistachios
For strict allergy avoidance, check the labels of all packaged ingredients.
Egg allergy
Traditional mayonnaise usually contains egg.
For an egg-free version, use an egg-free/vegan mayonnaise.
Dairy allergy
The mayonnaise itself can be dairy-free, but this recipe uses sour cream/Greek yogurt.
For dairy-free chicken salad:
use dairy-free mayonnaise
omit sour cream/Greek yogurt or replace it with an unsweetened dairy-free alternative
Gluten
The basic ingredients can be gluten-free, but always check packaged mayonnaise, mustard, seasonings and other additions if gluten avoidance is medically necessary.
Also remember that bread, croissants and crackers may contain gluten.
Approximate nutrition
Using chicken breast, regular mayonnaise and the recipe above, without nuts or optional fruit:
Approximately per ¾-cup serving
Calories: 350–400
Protein: 30–35 g
Fat: 22–27 g
Carbohydrates: 3–5 g
Fiber: about 1 g
Sugar: 1–3 g
Sodium: approximately 500–700 mg
Actual values depend heavily on the mayonnaise, chicken portion and amount of salt used.
Lower-calorie version
Replace some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
Try:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
instead of 1¼ cups of creamy ingredients.
You’ll get a lighter chicken salad with more protein and less fat.
For an even lighter version:
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅔ cup Greek yogurt
The flavor will be tangier and less rich.
Best seasoning combination
For the flavor profile in the photograph, I recommend:
Garlic + onion + parsley + dill + black pepper + Dijon + lemon.
The combination gives you a savory, herby flavor without overpowering the chicken.
Optional sweet chicken salad
If you like a slightly sweet deli-style chicken salad, add:
½ cup halved red grapes
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 tsp honey
The grapes provide a nice contrast to the savory dressing.
Nutty version
For extra crunch, add:
½ cup toasted pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
Toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for approximately 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Cool completely before mixing them into the chicken salad.
Important:
If serving someone with a nut allergy, don’t use this variation and carefully consider cross-contact from utensils, cutting boards and containers.
Chicken Salad Q&A
Q: Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Absolutely. It’s one of the easiest options.
Remove the skin and bones, then shred approximately 900 g / 2 lb of cooked chicken.
Because rotisserie chicken is often already salty, taste the finished salad before adding additional salt.
Q: Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes.
Chicken thighs produce a juicier and richer chicken salad.
Breast meat gives a leaner, more traditional texture.
Q: Why is my chicken salad watery?
Common causes include:
wet celery
warm chicken
excessive lemon juice
too much dressing
watery yogurt
Drain/pat the vegetables dry and allow the chicken to cool completely before mixing.
Q: How do I make it thicker like the picture?
Use:
well-drained chicken
finely chopped dry celery
less dressing initially
full-fat mayonnaise
Refrigerating it for 1–2 hours also noticeably thickens the texture.
Q: Can I make it without mayonnaise?
Yes.
Use approximately:
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
instead of mayonnaise.
For a richer flavor, add 1–2 tbsp olive oil.
Q: Can I use Miracle Whip or another sweet salad dressing?
Yes, but it will make the chicken salad sweeter and tangier.
If using a sweetened dressing, omit the honey.
Q: Can I make it without celery?
Yes.
Good alternatives include:
cucumber, very well drained
green apple
bell pepper
chopped pickles
water chestnuts
Celery gives the characteristic crunch shown in the photo, though.
Q: Can I add onion?
Yes.
Green onion is milder and works particularly well.
Red onion can also be used, but finely dice it because its flavor is stronger.
Q: Can I add cheese?
Yes, although it changes the style.
Small amounts of:
cheddar
Parmesan
Swiss
can work well.
Q: Can I freeze chicken salad?
I don’t recommend freezing this mayonnaise-based version.
Mayonnaise can separate after freezing and thawing, resulting in a watery or broken texture.
It’s much better made fresh and refrigerated.
Q: How long does chicken salad last?
Keep it refrigerated in a covered container and use it within approximately 3–4 days.
Don’t leave it sitting at room temperature for extended periods.
Q: Can I make it the night before?
Yes—and that’s actually ideal.
The flavor is often better the next day because the herbs and seasoning have time to blend.
Q: Can I use canned chicken?
Yes.
Drain it extremely well and gently break it apart.
The flavor and texture will generally be better with freshly cooked or rotisserie chicken, but canned chicken works for a quick version.
Q: Why does my chicken taste dry?
The chicken was probably overcooked.
For the juiciest result, cook it only until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, then remove it from the heat.
Using some chicken thigh meat is another good solution.
My recommended version
For the closest overall result to the pictured containers, I’d use:
900 g cooked shredded chicken + 1 cup mayonnaise + ¼ cup Greek yogurt + 1 cup finely diced celery + parsley + dill + Dijon + lemon + garlic + onion powder + black pepper.
Chill it for at least 1 hour, then spoon it into containers.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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