Quick and Easy Chicken Salad Recipes

As a kid, I loved tuna salad. Because I was so picky, it was one of few foods that I ate. My mom used to go so far as to pack me a tuna sandwich when she and my brother went out for pizza (as that was not one of my accepted foods at the time).  As I got older, I started to experiment with different foods, and one day while at a friend’s house, I tried chicken salad for the first time. Up until that point, I had never thought of creating a mayo-based sandwich filling with cut up chicken, one of my favorite foods.

My friend cooked a few chicken breasts (which I marveled at since I was young and had no experience cooking my own meat) and then the two of us mixed in some mayo, chopped celery, raisins, salt and pepper. I was blown away by how delicious it was. Every time I hung out with that friend after school, I would request that we make chicken salad, and I even asked my mom to show me how to cook my own chicken so I could make it at home and pack chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.

To this day, I enjoy creating chicken salad variations with nuts, dried fruit and fresh herbs. My favorite is still the classic mayo, celery, salt, pepper and raisins combination, but I’m always looking for new variations. I found a great selection of recipes on RecipeLion.com; they have everything from classic chicken salad and fruit-filled chicken salad to baked chicken salad recipes and even a low-fat version. I loved the unique idea of adding artichokes and sundried tomatoes, two items that I love but never would have thought to include in my chicken salad.

One thing I’ve found is that many people are turned off of chicken salad because of an often overwhelming amount of mayonnaise. Believe it or not, there are many ways to make a delicious chicken salad sandwich without mayo. You can replace mayo with your favorite salad dressing – vinaigrettes work well – and add the rest of the ingredients in the same way. This is a great variation of classic chicken salad and it will save you quite a few calories.  If you’re not completely opposed to mayo, use a dollop to add moisture and then add your favorite veggies, nuts or mix-ins.

No matter what type of chicken salad you prefer, you can mix up a batch in no time. If you don’t want to cook chicken on the spot, use leftovers from a previous meal. Just remove the skin and dice up the meat. You can also snag a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (almost all grocery stores have them in the hot foods section), cut it up and have meals for days. Use the white meat to make chicken salad and use the rest of the bird for other quick and easy meals like tacos, chicken pizza or sandwiches. It’s a fast and simple way to get a meal on the table in no time, and the juicy chicken will create a fabulous chicken salad that everyone will enjoy.

Try out a new chicken salad recipe this weekend. Play around with different ways to dress the salad, add crunch and flavor. You might be surprised with what you come up with.