Packed with so many great ingredients, this delicious chicken salad recipe without celery could easily be called Pantry Sandwich! Delicious dinner or lunch option for any day of the week, your next easy meal will be ready in less than 15 minutes.
Why This Recipe Works
There are just those days (or weeks or months) where we need easy food that can be made quickly with a few ingredients we pull out of our pantry. This is the perfect recipe for those times. Who doesn’t love an easy chicken salad recipe?
The great thing about this recipe is that there aren’t any ingredients that can’t be replaced with something else. See the ingredients below as mere recommendations. I listed out substitution options in the Recipe Notes below.
How To Make Chicken Salad
Throw these simple ingredients into a large mixing bowl:
- Chunk chicken, drained, pieces broken apart with a fork into large chunks
- Mayonnaise
- Pecans
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries (like Craisins)
- Green olives
- Salt and black pepper
Mix well and pile it between two pieces of bread along with some fresh lettuce or spinach.
Recipe Notes
- Make chicken salad without mayo if you’re looking for a mayonnaise-free recipe! You’ll get tons of flavor thanks to the fresh thyme and lemon vinaigrette.
- Sandwich the mixture between two slices of bread and enjoy as chicken salad sandwiches. You can also opt to spoon it over a bed of lettuce or create lettuce wraps by enclosing the mixture in lettuce leaves.
- Use meat from a Rotisserie chicken instead of from a can or shred cooked chicken breasts. Use white meat for a leaner meal or dark meat for a more moist end result.
- Substitute the pecans for walnuts, pine nuts or sesame seeds! Or omit entirely if you’re not a nut kinda guy or gal.
- Use a light mayo for a less dense sandwich, or replace mayo with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Substitute the green olives for black olives or even chopped pickles or sweet pickle relish! Capers would taste amazing, too.
- Chicken can easily be replace with canned salmon or tuna.
- For a meatier recipe, add some chopped crispy bacon to the mix.
- Any dried fruit will work great in this sandwich.
- 1/4 cup chopped celery can be added, if desired. Other ingredients that will add crunch are either chopped green apples (be sure to drizzle lemon juice over the piece first) or chopped green or red bell pepper.
- Green onions, red onion or any other variety of onion can be added for great flavor and crunch.
- Any herbs will pair well with this dish, such as fresh dill, chives or parsley. A little bit will go a long way!
- If you’re feeling indulgent, pour some Ranch salad dressing over the top before placing the top piece of bread in place.
What To Serve With Chicken Salad – 20 recipe ideas!
Chicken salad is the perfect easy recipe to make for dinner or a light lunch. But what do you serve alongside this yummy recipe? Read on for 20 ideas about what to serve with chicken salad.
Uses For Rotisserie Chicken Meat
If you use meat from a Rotisserie chicken to make this recipe and have leftovers, there are endless possibilities for ways to use it up. I love loading up on Rotisseries chickens (or I just make my own whole chicken) because I never lack ideas for how to eat the succulent leftover rotisserie chicken meat. Here are just a few ideas to get you started!
- Shred the chicken and add it to your next wrap or salad.
- Add it to your next batch of chicken noodle soup!
- Use it in chicken enchiladas or this yummy chicken enchilada bake.
- CHICKEN BURRITO BOWLS! Chipotle style!
- Throw it into some cheesy quesadillas.
FAQ About Chicken Salad
Chicken salad, once mixed, should be transferred to an airtight container before freezing. Thaw and enjoy within 3 months for best results.
To make chicken salad from scratch, combine cooked and shredded chicken, mayonnaise, pecans, raisins, cranberries and green olives in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Chicken salad is most commonly served between two slices of bread in sandwich form. It can also be scooped over a leafy salad or stuffed inside a wrap, quesadilla or pita bread.
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, chicken salad will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Delicious Salad Recipes
- Best Chopped Salad is a great recipe. It is packed with delicious ingredients including candied pecans, red onions, avocado, tomatoes and more!
- Edamame Tomato Corn Salad is my favorite salad recipe of ALL TIME. This delicious salad is a crowd-pleaser, enjoyed any time of the year. Bring this to a party and it will be devoured immediately!
- I love this version of Tuna Salad. Its ingredients are unique yet such a delicious combination of sweet, savory, crunchy and meaty. Use it as a sandwich filling or eat it solo as a salad!
- Put a delicious spin on your next summer gathering by learning how to make Fruit Salad step by step with a super-secret and unexpected ingredient. Simply mix together your favorite fresh summer fruits to enjoy a naturally sweet salad. This salad is a hit at parties!
- This egg salad recipe is a great way to use up hard-boiled eggs. Perfect easy lunch or light dinner, and the relish is a must!
- Loaded Veggie Salad is EASY to make and it is packed with healthy ingredients, such as chickpeas, black beans, tomatoes and avocados. It is a delicious lunch, wrap filling, party side or even a topping for chicken!
Related Recipes
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Low Carb Taco Seasoning
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree
- Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwiches
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Chicken Salad Recipe Without Celery
Ingredients
- 12.5 oz chunk chicken drained, pieces broken apart with a fork
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup green olives chopped
- 8 slices white bread or wheat
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce or spinach
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, pecans, raisins, cranberries and green olives. Mix well.
- Divide the mixture four ways and place each serving on a slice of bread. Top with lettuce and another slice of bread.
Notes
- Use meat from a Rotisserie chicken instead of from a can or shred cooked chicken breasts.
- Substitute the pecans for walnuts, pine nuts or sesame seeds! Or omit entirely if you’re not a nut kinda guy or gal.
- Use a light mayo for a less dense sandwich, or replace mayo with plain Greek yogurt.
- Substitute the green olives for black olives or even chopped pickles! Capers would taste amazing, too.
- Chicken can easily be replace with canned salmon or tuna.
- Any dried fruit will work great in this sandwich.
- 1/4 cup chopped celery can be added, if desired.
- Add a few squirts of lemon juice for extra freshness.
- If you’re feeling indulgent, pour some Ranch salad dressing over the top before placing the top piece of bread in place.
This recipe for chicken salad looks delicious and sounds great with sour dough and spinach. We're doing a blog hop today all about deli salads if you want to hop with us: http://www.favedietsblog.com/the-healthy-hop-may-edition/
Thanks!
Blair
I made chicken salad today and it was awesome. I used canned chicken (white meat) celery, red grapes, craisins infused with pomegranate jucie,Mayo, sour cream and honey. Mixed together and sprinkled with toasted almonds. Served on a bed of lettuce for dinner.
Your son sounds a lot like my daughter!! Raisins, chocolate and candy would be her dream birthday lunch! Happy Birthday to the little guy!
However, your lunch is more to my taste, looks just perfect! Nicely done!!
I love dried fruit in chicken salad – but never thought about olives – and it sounds amazing. I usually just toss in an extra breast when I make chicken just to have leftovers for salad – it freezes well and is less work than deboning a rotisserie bird.
This looks yummy! I am book marking this to make when it's too hot to use the oven. I think the rotisserie chicken idea sounds great. I bet shredded leftover grilled chicken would be tasty too! Thanks for sharing the recipe.