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One of my all-time favorite foods is chicken salad. I personally think my Grandma’s chicken salad was the BEST! I doubt she created the recipe herself, but she made it for me when I would come visit. It’s very much a family recipe now!
How to Make the Best Chicken Salad Ever
The best part of this recipe is that it only takes four ingredients! If I’m just making it for my lunch then I use canned chicken since it’s easier. When I’m making chicken salad for a party or some other event I use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I make sure to take it off the bones and shred it as soon as I get it home before it cools completely.
Step One
If you’re using canned chicken, drain the water from the can before you put the chicken in a bowl.
Make sure you break up the chicken so it will be smoother in the salad. Trust me, this makes a difference.
Step Two
Slice the grapes in half or quarters if they are bigger. This makes the grapes a better size for sandwiches, plus allows the juice to meld with the other flavors.
Step Three
Slice the celery in half. You don’t want huge pieces in your chicken salad. I’m not a big fan of celery anyways, so this keeps the celery from being an overwhelming flavor, but still gives the salad some crunch. Don’t forget to pull the strings off the celery stalks.
Step Four
Chop the celery. Depending on how much chicken salad you are making, you can add more or less celery. I usually try to do the same amount of grapes and celery to about twice as much chicken.
Step Five
Add the mayonnaise. My mom only uses Hellmann’s. For most things, I use Duke’s. But for this chicken salad, for some reason, Hellmann’s is the best!
The amount of mayo for this recipe is whatever you like. It’s a personal preference. I don’t use as much if I’m just making it for me. My mom uses more than I think she should, but when she makes Grandma’s chicken salad, it’s always better than mine! So if you think you have enough, maybe add a little bit more.
Step Six
Stir it. The more you mix it up, the better it gets. If you just stir it until everything is coated with the mayo, it will still be pretty chunky. Which is fine if you like it that way. For sandwiches I like it smoother, which requires more stirring.
Step Seven
Serve it! Eat it right out of the bowl, like I do, if you want. Or you can let it chill in the fridge before you serve it. I love to use butter croissants for my chicken salad sandwiches. It’s great with crackers too. Any way you eat this, it’s delicious!
I hope you enjoy this chicken salad recipe!
- 2 15 oz canned chicken or use rotisserie chicken
- 1.5 cup grapes cut in half or quarters
- 1.5 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
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Drain the cans of chicken and break up the chicken in the bowl. If using a rotisserie chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred before it is completely cool.
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Slice grapes in half or quarters.
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Pull strings off celery stalks. Cut stalks in half and then chop.
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Add all ingredients together and stir very well.
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Chill for at least an hour for the best result. (it's ok to eat it right away too!)
Serve with crackers or on butter croissants. Any kind of bread works as well.
Love Hannah Ro’s hands!
LOL