Deli-Style Chicken Salad is a delicious, creamy, and dairy-free recipe that’s just like the ones found in New York delis.
It is the classic chicken salad that’s often served at light catered events and kiddush lunches.
It’s quick and easy to make. And it’s perfect in a sandwich, on a bagel, or even as a simple side on a plate.
And, if you want to know a secret…
It’s a great way to repurpose your leftover chicken!
Why bother going to a deli for chicken salad?
It’s an easy and light meal that takes little effort to make. Eat is as is or mix in additional veggies or seasoning!
It’s delicious anyway you want to eat it.
With any kind of bread—rye, white, pita, bagel. Or on a bed of with green leafy lettuce. Or just alone on a plate.
It’s a terrific way to use left over chicken!
Take it to work or school and save your lunch money!
And chicken has nutritional benefits!
I like to have a variety of seasoning and spices at-the-ready for anything I might want to make at any time:
- salt (my recipes use regular table salt)
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder (I prefer granulated)
- onion powder
- sweet paprika and/or sweet pepper flakes (paprika is ground dried red pepper, pepper flakes are crushed dried red pepper)
- hot paprika, hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper (moderately spicy dried ground chili pepper) for those occasional spicy dishes
- ground turmeric
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves (for pumpkin flavors)
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consommé powder / beef bouillon powder (regular or vegetarian)
- onion soup mix
- onion flakes (substitute for fresh onion—3 tablespoons for 1 medium onion).
- various herbs
These deli salad make great sides for chicken salad sandwiches!
- Deli-Style Cucumber Salad
- Deli-Style Red Cabbage Salad
- Dei-Style Coleslaw
- Deli-Style Broccoli Salad
- Deli-Style Potato Salad
Easy Deli-Style Chicken Salad
Easy and delicious chicken salad like you find in an appy! Perfect for leftover turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 pounds cooked chicken (preferably breast), diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 1/2 cup celery, diced or chopped small
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped or diced small
- 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard or yellow mustard, for slightly tangy flavor (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon white or black ground pepper
- additional herbs or chopped vegetables, as desired
Instructions
- Put chicken in a blender or food processor or mash well with a fork.**
- Combine chicken, celery, onion, and mayonnaise in a bowl.
- Mix in sugar, salt, garlic, and pepper.
- Add mustard, herbs, and/or chopped vegetables, as desired.
- Chill for at least an hour or so (chilled salad tastes better than warm).
Notes
*The best mayonnaise to use is Best Foods or Hellman's (they're the same, just with different names depending on where you live in the US).
**How you prepare yours depends on how fine you want your chicken. For more fine, use the blender. For less, use a fork.
Additional notes:
1) This recipe is very much "to taste." If you like more or less mayo, more or less spices, or more or less veggies, feel free to adapt.
2) If liquids seep out, mix before use or drain and add a little more mayo to keep salad creamy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 254mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 17g