Don't you think chicken salad is a perfect go-to when friends unexpectedly show up, or you decide to go on a last minute picnic, or it's almost dinnertime and you have no desire to cook and heat up the house? I've always considered it the "Grand Pooh-Bah" of easy summer meal-making!

And don't you appreciate how versatile this salad is? You can really add a lot of flavor to the dish depending on what you like. I've tried hard cooked eggs, chopped olives, chopped pickles, dried fruit (cranberries and cherries are the best!), finely diced bell peppers, diced apples, and halved red or green grapes.

It's not just versatile in terms of flavor approaches, but in ways to use it, as well. For instance, it makes a knock-out sandwich and it's yummy on top of tomato slices, or over greens. It's a great low-carb option as an afternoon snack with crackers or with celery and bell pepper sticks. And it makes one of the best lettuce wraps I've ever had.

Chicken salad will last refrigerated for 3-4 days, in a tightly covered container. You never want to leave it out at room temperature for more than two hours for food safety.

I like to keep diced cooked chicken in my freezer so I'm always prepared to make this when the mood or need hits. You shouldn't freeze the fully prepped salad, though-the mayonnaise will separate when defrosting.

Here are some tried-and-true tips for chicken salad success that I found on a favorite site, DINNER then DESSERT (www.dinnerthendessert.com).

• Besides almonds, try using pecans, walnuts, or cashews.
• Replace the mayo with pureed avocado and sour cream for an avocado chicken salad.
• Cut the calories in this recipe by using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
• Refrigerate chicken salad for at least an hour to give the flavors a chance to come together.
• If you don't have time to cook the chicken yourself, substitute a rotisserie chicken. Just remove the skin and chop into pieces.
• Well-drained canned chicken also works well in chicken salad.
• Make BBQ chicken salad by adding 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce in place of some of the mayonnaise.
• For flavor variations, try using garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, curry powder, or even mustard. Try chipotle seasoning and lime juice instead of lemon juice. Or a dash of cayenne pepper with pickled jalapenos for a spicy version.
• To save time, cook chicken breasts in a crockpot or Instant Pot, then use an electric hand mixer to shred the chicken for a shredded chicken salad recipe! Finally, it's recipe time. My favorite chicken salad recipe comes from a professional private chef, Sabrina, off of the above-mentioned site, DINNER then DESSERT. The only change I made to this is by adding 3/4 cup chopped red onion. But it doesn't need it-I just add onion to almost everything but desserts. Anyway, if you don't already have a favorite chicken salad recipe, you might give this a try. It's delicious!

Classic Chicken Salad

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 2,026.667

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup sliced almonds optional


Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together well in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.