Easy Chicken Salad recipe that’s the BEST chicken salad ever! The simple dressing adds great flavor. Easy chicken salad with plain yogurt, apples, grapes, celery, cucumber & raisins! Great as chicken salad sandwiches or in lettuce as a wrap or as an appetizer on crackers.
I’ve always loved chicken salad and have made it so many times over the years. I consider this recipe perfection! It’s very versatile, so feel free to add in or swap out whatever items you’d like. I give some ideas below.
Tips for a Quick Chicken Salad Recipe with Canned Chicken
Here are several tips on how to make this recipe come together QUICK!
- Use canned chicken! Just drain and you’re all set. This recipe requires 1 Costco sized can or two small cans.
- OR Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just diced and refrigerate to cool, then proceed with recipe. {this can of course be done ahead of time!}
- Slice the celery and cucumber beforehand. Store them in a small container in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the entire recipe ahead of time and let sit in a closed container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Add-Ins for Chicken Salad with Canned Chicken
This recipe is incredibly versatile! Here are my favorite mix ins:
- sliced almonds
- cashews
- chopped pecans
- pineapple tidbits
- water chestnuts
- Craisins
- dried cherries
- chopped sugar snap peas
How much chicken salad per person?
You should plan on allowing 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup chicken salad per person, depending on how you’re serving it. If you’re making this for mini croissants as an appetizer, you can even use just shy of 1/4 cup of chicken salad. If you’re serving chicken salad sandwiches for lunch or dinner, you’ll want to allow 1/2 a cup or even 1/3 cup per person.
Ingredients for making Chicken Salad from Canned Chicken
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Diced cooked chicken
- Diced apple
- Sliced grapes
- Sliced celery
- Mini cucumber
- Raisins
- Plain yogurt (or sour cream)
- Mayonnaise
- Dashes of salt, pepper, dried parsley and onion powder, to taste
How to Make Chicken Salad with Canned Chicken
- Prepare fruits and vegetables, slicing and/or dicing as needed.
- Combine everything in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Use this recipe in a sandwich, on crackers, as filling for lettuce wraps, or on a bed of lettuce. I’ve been known to just eat it with a fork too- it’s THAT good!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Will last for several days!
Recipe serves 6 with 1/2 cup portions.
5-Minute Chicken Salad with Canned Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1/2 apple diced but not peeled
- 1/4 cup sliced grapes
- 2 stems of celery sliced
- 1 seedless mini cucumber
- rounded 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- dashes of salt pepper, dried parsley and onion powder, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare fruits and vegetables, slicing and/or dicing as needed.
- Combine everything in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Use chicken salad in a sandwich, on crackers, as filling for lettuce wraps, or on a bed of lettuce. I’ve been known to just eat it with a fork too- it’s THAT good!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Will last for several days!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Ways to Serve Canned Chicken Salad
You can serve chicken salad on regular bread or croissants for sandwiches. I also love chicken salad served on crackers or in a lettuce wrap, for a low-carb option!
Canned Chicken Salad Recipe FAQ
This recipe is packed full of protein, fruits and vegetables, so yes, it is a healthy food option. I even substituted plain yogurt in for half of the traditional mayonnaise which adds even more protein and cuts down on fat and calories. I love adding the diced cucumber for an additional vegetable source, plus the crunch is delicious. If you want to make this recipe even more healthy, serve it on whole grain high fiber bread, or serve it on leaves of lettuce, as a lettuce wrap.
You can rinse canned chicken, but it’s not necessary. If you do opt to rinse it, make sure you strain out the additional water.
Canned chicken is already cooked and ready to serve! It’s tender, juicy and perfect for chicken salad.
Canned chicken is often combined with other items to make it taste less plain. In this case we toss it with a variety of other ingredients, like celery, Craisins and apples, then mix it with a fantastic dressing to add even more flavor!
Can this canned chicken salad recipe be made a day ahead?
Yes, you can make this recipe a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I actually think day old chicken salad tastes even better as it has had a chance for the flavors to meld! Just give your salad a good stir and if the chicken has absorbed the moisture, you might want to add in a bit more mayonnaise or plain yogurt to compensate.
How long does chicken salad last with canned chicken?
Chicken salad will stay good for 5-7 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. My favorite airtight containers are Snapware. I’ve found that when I use Snapware, the foods generally stay fresh for at least 3-4 days longer than when you use regular tupperware.
Can you freeze chicken salad?
Theoretically, yes, you can freeze chicken salad but know that the texture will suffer once thawed out and served. The mayonnaise can separate slightly, so it’d be a good idea to stir thoroughly and then add in a tad more fresh mayo prior to serving. The cucumber and celery will lose much, if not all of their crunch once they’re thawed as well. So yes, you can freeze this recipe, but really it tastes so much better if eaten fresh!
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Paula Provost says
I like to view the recipe comments and pick up ideas from other people who’ve made the recipe. I do not see how to go to see them ??
Nellie says
Any comments that have been made will show up at the very bottom of each recipe post.
Deborah says
This sounds delicious. We will have this for lunch tomorrow.!! Thank you for the recipe.
Alison says
Thanks Deborah! I hope you enjoy!
Terri D. says
I have made my chicken salad like this for years, almost to your exact recipe. I have not used cucumbers or onion powder before, but will try them for sure.
I enjoy all of your recipes, thank you.
Alison says
Thank you Terri, I hope you enjoy those additions!
DENEEN MURPHY- COOK says
Use cranberries instead of raisins, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to your dressing, and this is pretty much the recipe I’ve been using for years. It’s terrific!
Jessica says
hmmm- apple cider vinegar, I’ll have to try that!!
SHARYN BAY says
the picture looked terrific. I read the ingredients apples well I guess I can handle that. but when it got to raisins I had to stop. I just can’t stand raisins in anything. But I am going to give this recipe a shot minus the raisins. My favorite thing in the whole world is chicken salad
Jessica says
I hope you like it!!
Pauline says
Didn’t have grapes so I used dried cranberries, added chopped pecans, added 3 teaspoons of grain prepared mustard mixed with 2 teaspoons of honey! It was so good!
Alison says
Love your additions! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one!
Georgia says
Omg this is amazing!! I wanted a snack tonight and found this, I had all the ingredients on hand. Simply delicious. I did add a little bit of miracle whip with the Mayo/sour cream, dab of Dijon, and a splash of apple cider vinegar as one of the comments stated. Only because I like a little tang. Before I added that I tasted it and it was so good I just missed my tang. Thank you for a phenomenal recipe. I will make this from now on. My son will be so excited when he wakes up because he loves any salad tuna or chicken, he’s 5. Lol. I never ate this as a kid.