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Enjoy a delicious and easy single serving Chicken Salad in just minutes! This recipe uses simple ingredients and leftover chicken for a quick and satisfying meal. Its delicious mix of savory chicken, crisp celery, sweet grapes, tangy pickles, and crunchy pecans in a creamy dressing is perfect for a healthy and flavorful lunch or snack.
Craving more delicious single serving salads? Explore our collection! Indulge in a crisp, satisfying Broccoli Salad, savor a tangy and comforting German Potato Salad, enjoy a classic Tuna Salad, try a creamy and nostalgic Macaroni Salad, or delight in a sweet and refreshing Ambrosia Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Salad Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Perfect for using leftover chicken, this single serve chicken salad comes together in minutes.
- Customizable: Feel free to adjust ingredients to your liking. Swap out grapes for dried cranberries, add your favorite herbs, or try different nuts.
- Deliciously Balanced: Enjoy a satisfying mix of flavors and textures – savory chicken, crunchy veggies, sweet grapes, and a creamy, tangy dressing.
- Scales Up Easily: Effortlessly double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd or have leftovers.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy chicken salad recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Cooked chicken: The star of the show! Use leftover chicken or cook some specifically for the salad. Got extra chicken? Use it in Chicken Tacos or Chicken Spaghetti.
- Celery: Adds a satisfying crunch. Use any extra celery in Chicken Tortellini Soup or a small batch of Tomato Sauce.
- Grapes: Offer a burst of sweetness.
- Dill pickle: Gives the salad a tangy kick.
- Nuts: Choose your favorite – pecans, walnuts, cashews, or peanuts – for extra flavor and texture. Extra nuts can be used to make a mini Pecan Pie or a small batch of Butter Pecan Granola.
- Mayonnaise: Creates the creamy dressing. For a twist, try mashed avocado with sour cream or Greek yogurt instead.
- Stone ground mustard: Adds a touch of spicy depth.
- Salt and black pepper: Season to your liking.
Chicken Salad Variations
- Curried Chicken Salad: Add a teaspoon of curry powder for an exotic twist.
- Greek Chicken Salad: Substitute the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, omit the pecans, and add olives, cucumbers, and feta cheese.
- Asian Chicken Salad: Swap out mayonnaise with sesame oil and rice vinegar, replace grapes with mandarin oranges, and add sliced almonds instead of pecans.
How To Cook Chicken For Chicken Salad
While this recipe is ideal for using leftover chicken, you might sometimes need to cook chicken specifically for your salad. Poaching is a simple and gentle cooking method perfect for this purpose, ensuring tender and flavorful chicken.
Follow these easy steps to poach chicken:
- Prepare the Chicken:
- Place a boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh flat at the bottom of a small pot.
- Season with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. For more flavor, add aromatics such as smashed garlic, slices of lemon, fresh ginger, or herbs.
- Cover with Water:
- Fill the pot with cool water until the chicken is covered by about an inch.
- Cook the Chicken:
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. You may notice some foam on the surface; you can skim it off if desired.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Check the chicken’s doneness by ensuring the internal temperature reaches 165° F and the juices run clear.
- Rest and Prepare:
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes. Then, slice or shred it for your salad.
This poaching method not only cooks the chicken beautifully but also keeps it moist and flavorful, making it perfect for your chicken salad.
How To Make Chicken Salad For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and stir well.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled
RELATED: Comfort Foods For One
Expert Tips
- Chicken Texture: Shred or chop the chicken based on your preferred texture.
- Dressing Balance: Adjust the amount of mayonnaise and mustard to your taste.
- Freshness: Consume soon after preparation to maintain the freshness and crunch of the ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some exciting ways to serve your chicken salad:
- Chicken Salad Sandwich: Place a generous scoop of chicken salad between two slices of whole grain bread for a hearty and healthy sandwich.
- Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps: For a low-carb alternative, scoop the chicken salad into crisp lettuce leaves for refreshing and tasty wraps.
- Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomato: Hollow out a ripe tomato and fill it with chicken salad for a vibrant, wholesome, and innovative dish.
- Salad Topper: Toss the chicken salad over a bed of mixed greens, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes for a more traditional salad meal.
- Cracker Spread: Serve the chicken salad as a spread with whole-grain crackers for a light snack or appetizer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stored in an airtight container, chicken salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 days.
Absolutely! A rotisserie chicken is great to use for meal prep and a little leftover rotisserie chicken is ideal for making a chicken salad.
Absolutely! Apples or dried cranberries can add a sweet element to the salad.
You can omit the nuts entirely, or substitute with seeds like sunflower or pumpkin for a similar crunch.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this small batch chicken salad or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below. Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Chicken Salad For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken
- 1 celery rib -chopped
- ½ cup chopped red grapes
- ¼ cup chopped dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans (or use your favorite nuts)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and stir well.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- Chicken Texture: Shred or chop the chicken based on your preferred texture.
- Dressing Balance: Adjust the amount of mayonnaise and mustard to your taste.
- Freshness: Consume soon after preparation to maintain the freshness and crunch of the ingredients.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Amazing recipe. I had to sub in raisins and Dijon mustard, but it was really good and will make again.
This is my go to recipe. Now that it’s warm out I’m making it every week or two. Always a touch different and always delicious!
The pinterest button used to be in the recipe. It is not there now. ???
The Pinterest button is just below the recipe title and also in the recipe box at the bottom of each page.
Great, versatile recipe.
I just got the cookbook ” THE uLTIMATE COOKING FOR ONE COOKBOOK ” Can’t wait to try the great recipes ❣😀
Chicken salad is my go-to summer cold salad. I like this easy for one version because then I’m not eating it for days straight!
Best chicken salad recipe ever!
Great recipe.