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    You Are Here: Home / Recipes / 5 Ingredient Recipes

    Super Simple 5 Ingredient Chicken Salad

    Published: Feb 20, 2024 · Modified: Jun 4, 2024 by Susie W · This post may contain affiliate links. Leave a Comment

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    chicken salad on a piece of bread with text overlay for Pinterest

    This Chicken Salad recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients, yet is super tasty and makes a great lunch or light dinner. Serve the chicken salad piled high on top of croissants with tomato and lettuce, spooned on a lettuce salad with light vinaigrette, or (my favorite) just use some Ritz crackers to spoon it right into your mouth!

    5 ingredient chicken salad on a piece of bread and some fruit to the side

    We love this 5 ingredient chicken salad for weekly meal prep too. Make it on Sunday afternoon and have in the fridge to eat for lunch during the week. Serve it up with some chips and fresh fruit and/or raw veggies with dip.

    Just like chili, chicken salad is better after a day or two in the fridge. However, it can definitely be enjoyed right after you make it.

    Ingredients

    Chicken- This is a great time to grab a rotisserie chicken, break it down and use the breast meat for this chicken salad… Then you can use the bones and meat for homemade chicken stock.

    A great tip to shred your warm chicken (it has to be warm or hot).. place the chicken breasts in a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Run on medium speed for 25-30 seconds and it will shred perfectly!

    How To Bake Chicken

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken breast on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F internal temp.

    Celery- This adds a nice crunch to the chicken salad. Dice up the celery into a small or medium dice.

    5 ingredients for chicken salad

    Onion- I prefer to use the white and light green parts of a green onion for this chicken salad. But a white or red onion will work too.

    Reduce Raw Onion Strength

    Have you ever used a raw onion in a recipe and it takes over the whole flavor!? You can reduce the raw onion strength by cutting off a piece of the onion, run it under cool water for 30 seconds. This will wash away the enzyme that makes the onion overpowering.

    Mayo- Use a high quality mayonnaise. We love Hellmann’s, Duke’s and, believe it on not, Aldi has great mayo! Miracle Whip will not be the same thing.

    Dijon Mustard- This adds a little tang and flavor depth to the chicken salad.

    More Easy 5 Ingredient Recipes

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    a chicken salad sandwich on a piece of parchment paper with fruit on the side

    5 Ingredient Chicken Salad

    A really good chicken salad recipe that only requires 5 ingredients; cooked chicken, celery, onion, mayo and Dijon. Makes great meal prep, a delicious lunch or light dinner.
    5 from 1 rating
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 317kcal
    Author: Susie W

    Disclaimer

    5 Ingredient Recipes do not include water, oil, kosher salt, or pepper in the count as most kitchens have these items stocked.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
    • ½ cup celery diced
    • ⅓ cup onion diced, green onion, red onion or white onion
    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
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    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl whisk together the mayo and Dijon. Add in ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
      ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
      mayo and Dijon whisked together
    • Measure in the chicken, onion, and celery. Stir it all together so the mayo mixture coats everything.
      2 cups cooked chicken, ½ cup celery, ⅓ cup onion
      chicken, celery, onion and dressing in a bowl
    • Taste for seasoning and add more kosher salt and black pepper as desired.
      chicken salad in a bowl

    Serving

    • Serve on croissants with fresh tomato and lettuce.
      Also great over a bed of lettuce lightly dressed with vinaigrette.
      Our favorite is to spoon it straight into your mouth with Ritz crackers.

    Side Dishes

    • Raw veggies and dip
      Kettle chips
      Soup- perfect with potato soup!
      Fresh fruit

    Storing

    • Chicken salad actually gets better after 24 hours in the fridge, but is great right after it is made too.
    • Store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
    Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below! Jump To The Comments!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

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      5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili
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      5 Ingredient Bean Enchiladas
    • Creamy Potato Soup in a large pot topped with black pepper
      5 Ingredient Potato Soup
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    About Susie W

    Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind 5 Ingredient or 30 Minute Recipes. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on 5or30.com as well as momsdinner.com. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

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