Chicken Salad For One

This single serving chicken salad recipe is the perfect one to use if you have leftover chicken from a previous meal. It's filled with chopped nuts, grapes, celery, and so much flavor!

I love chicken salad with grapes! It's perfect for a hearty lunch, side dish, or light dinner. This easy salad can be made with leftover chicken and enjoyed with crackers, in a sandwich, or in a lettuce wrap.

Why This Recipe Works

• A great way to use leftover chicken: If you have about a small amount of cooked chicken leftover from a previous meal, or grocery store rotisserie chicken, this chicken salad is a delightful way to use it up.
• Made with the tastiest creamy dressing: After cutting the chicken into cubes, we toss them in a creamy dressing with the simple classic flavors of mayonnaise and tangy stone-ground mustard or dijon. Chopped pickles, celery, and nuts give the salad a nice crunch while crisp grapes provide a pleasant pop of sweetness.
• Ready in minutes: If you've got the ingredients on hand, the salad comes together in minutes.
• Recipe doubles well: This is the best chicken salad recipe and if you want to make extra, just double or triple the ingredients.

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Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

In our single serving recipe for chicken salad, we use:

• Cooked chicken: Chicken salad is an excellent way to use up leftover chicken.
• Celery: This ingredient gives the salad some crunch.
• Grapes: I mostly use red grapes but green grapes are delicious in this salad too.
• Dill pickle: I chop one small dill pickle wedge which adds a great tangy flavor. If you love pickles, feel free to add a little extra.
• Nuts: My favorite nuts to use are pecans. You can add chopped walnuts or cashews, or sliced almonds instead.
• Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise in chicken salad is so good! You can replace the mayo with mashed avocado and sour cream for a different version, or use Greek yogurt instead.
• Stone ground mustard: Feel free to add more mustard than called for in the recipe if you like a stronger mustard flavor.
• Salt and black pepper: After you make the salad, taste it and add additional salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

How To Cook Chicken For Chicken Salad

There are times when I crave chicken salad but don't have any cooked chicken on hand. If that happens, consider cooking a boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh.

If you are going to cook chicken specifically for chicken salad, the easiest thing to do is poach it.

Here's how:

1. Place the chicken on the bottom of a small pot. Sprinkle ⅛ teaspoon of salt and add any aromatics you might be using like smashed garlic, lemon slices, fresh ginger, or fresh herbs.
2. Cover the chicken with enough cool water to cover the chicken by an inch or so.
3. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. You may see a little foam rise to the surface as the water comes to a boil. You can leave the foam or skim it off the top if you will be using the water for soup or a sauce.
4. As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the chicken simmer until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. To check for doneness, an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should read 165° F, and the juices will run clear when you pierce the chicken with a knife.
5. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cover. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

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Expert Tips

• You can reduce the calories by replacing mayo with Greek yogurt. For a different flavor, mash ½ of an avocado mixed with a tablespoon or so of sour cream.
• Use canned chicken in a pinch.
• Use dried cranberries or raisins instead of grapes. Start with 2 tablespoons and add as much as you'd like.
• Top your salad with fresh herbs for an extra pop of flavor.
• If you don't have chicken but have leftover turkey, use it instead. It's the perfect swap!
• This chicken salad recipe is easy to customize. Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

• Make a chicken salad sandwich with your favorite bread.
• Spoon the salad over lettuce leaves to make a chicken salad lettuce wrap.
• Enjoy with crackers.

Variations

Customize your chicken salad with any of these mix-ins:

• Diced carrots
• Diced radishes
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Chopped sweet or red onions
• Chopped parsley or basil
• Fresh or pickled chopped jalapeños

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this chicken salad recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Cooked chicken: Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Caprese Salad, Enchiladas Verdes, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken and Golden Rice
• Celery: Baked Stuffed Fish, Tomato Sauce, Shrimp Creole, Potato Salad, Tuna Salad
• Pickles: Juicy Lucy, or enjoy with a Reuben Sandwich, Turkey Wrap, or Southwest Wrap
• Pecans: Butter Pecan Granola, Pecan Pie, DoubleTree Cookies, Mini Hummingbird Cake, Carrot Cake
• Stone-ground mustard: Mashed Potatoes, Crawfish Beignets, Ham and Cheese Dutch Baby, Poppy Seed Dressing
• Mayonnaise: Pineapple Lime Jello Salad, Goat Cheese Dressing, Ranch Dressing, Potato Salad, Tuna Salad

If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

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If you’ve tried this 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!