3-Ingredient Chicken Salad is a comfort food classic. Made with simple ingredients - flavored mayo, rotisserie chicken and fresh dill, it's the perfect combination of ease and deliciousness. Serve it on toast, crackers, a bed of greens, or grilled panini style.
What a delicious (and ridiculously simple)chicken salad recipe! I purchased the garlic-aioli mayo and it gave so much extra flavor. This one is the true definition of a "real life" recipe. Thank you!
- Barb O.
Jump to:
Bailey's Thoughts ....
All my recipes, while relatively easy to make, can't qualify as truly "effortless weeknight dinners." Right now, I have time to shop for ingredients, plan recipes and spend an hour in the kitchen preparing a meal. In about 4 weeks, life will become more scheduled with return of school and sports. I'll be leaning into quick-fix options that can be whipped up in minutes with basic ingredients that I have on hand. In other words, I'll be looking for recipes like this 3 ingredient (plus salt and pepper) chicken salad.
This chicken salad requires a flavored mayonnaise - garlic aioli is my go to (more on that later, because yes you will reuse that). Mix it with chopped rotisserie chicken and lots of dill. It's easily adaptable, as in you can add MORE ingredients, but the spirit of this particular recipe is "everyone-is-hungry-we-need-dinner-now."
Convert this delicious chicken salad recipe into the perfect homemade chicken salad sandwich, heaped onto crisp celery, or atop a bed of lettuce. It's all great, but most of the time you can find me shamelessly eating it piled on salted rosemary crackers and topped with lots of hot sauce while slouched over the kitchen counter. I love this easy chicken salad recipe and I know you will too.
-Bailey
Ingredients
- Rotisserie Chicken - in my opinion, this is the easiest option but leftover cooked chicken you have on hand is perfect as well
- Garlic Aioli Mayo- a mayonnaise- based sauce/dip that combines garlic, olive oil and mayonnaise; Primal Kitchen is my go-to brand but Hellmann's is a cost efficient substitution
- Fresh Herbs - fresh herbs bring ALL. THE. FLAVOR - don't sub dried dill from a jar
See recipe card for quantities
Instructions
- Step 1: On a large cutting board, dice chicken breast or leftover chicken into large chunks.
- Step 2: Onto the diced chicken, add garlic aioli mayonnaise and dill.
- Step 3: Use a large chef's knife and rubber spatula to chop/mix ingredients until you get the perfect consistency.
- Step 4: Taste test the chicken salad, and add additional garlic aioli mayo if needed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and transfer to a large bowl.
See recipe card for quantities.
Top Tip
With recipes containing only 3-ingredients, quality matters. Opt for FRESH dill and well-cooked and seasoned chicken.
Substitutions
- Garlic Aioli Mayonnaise - sub regular mayo can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio; add 2-3 cloves of fresh minced garlic (or garlic powder) and splash of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice
- Shredded or Chopped Chicken Breast - chicken can be subbed out with canned tuna fish for a delicious tuna salad
Variations
- Whole 30 - use a whole 30 compliant garlic aioli mayonnaise (Primal Kitchen is my favorite)
- Low-Carb - the recipe is naturally low carb; serve as a lettuce wrap or with fresh veggies
- Deluxe - there are lots of different flavored mayonnaises - get creative! Some fun options would be chipotle lime or pesto; all can be swapped with the garlic aioli mayo at a 1:1 ratio
- Vegetarian - substitute chopped / shredded chicken for chickpeas.
- Low Calorie - swap the garlic aioli mayonnaise for light mayonnaise
Storage
Chicken salad stores well in the refrigerator when made in advance. In an airtight container it will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Avoid storing chicken salad in the freezer as mayonnaise based sauces don't freeze well.
Equipment
Links below may be affiliate links. This means that should you choose to purchase, I will receive a small commission.
Large Cutting Board - I used a 12" x18" wood cutting board for this recipe.
Snapware Storage Bowls with Lids - this is the set I own and have used for years.
FAQ - 3 Ingredient Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is fully of lean protein and real food ingredients.This particular recipe can be made healthier by opting for a high quality garlic aioli mayo like Primal Kitchen with no added sugar.
Yes, this chicken salad boasts 26g protein per serving. This classic chicken salad recipe is a great way to get your protein in!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Recipe
3 Ingredient Chicken Pesto Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 lb. chicken salad 1x
Description
3-Ingredient Chicken Salad is a comfort food classic. Made with simple ingredients - flavored mayo, rotisserie chicken and fresh dill, it's the perfect combination of ease and deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces) cooked chicken breast *
- ½ cup garlic aioli mayonnaise + extra to taste *
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
Instructions
- On a large cutting board, dice chicken into large chunks. Top the diced chicken with garlic aioli mayonnaise and dill.
- Use a large chef's knife and rubber spatula to chop/mix ingredients until you get the perfect consistency. I sometimes add 1-2 tablespoons of additional aioli mayonnaise if needed.
- Taste test your chicken salad and season as needed with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for up to 4 days or serve immediately.
- Taste test the chicken salad, and add addition aioli mayo if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Rotisserie chicken is my go-to for this recipe
I typically add 1-2 additional tablespoons of garlic aioli mayonnaise and about ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper
I recommend Primal Kitchen Garlic Aioli Mayonnaise, it can be found at most grocery stores. As a budget/easier to find option, Hellman's has a version of this sauce as well.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Category: Lunch
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 374.1 mg
- Fat: 23.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.1 g
- Protein: 26.1 g
- Cholesterol: 94.3 mg
Comments
No Comments