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Chicken salad with pickles is an extra-savory take on a classic American recipe. Here’s how to make it the very best version of itself.

chicken salad with pickles on lettuce leaves
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Why we love this recipe

Our umami-packed chicken salad takes a good thing and makes it even better. We’ve kept all the best elements of classic chicken salad gently amped up the savory flavors to make it really shine. This salad:

  • Uses sous-vide or other gently cooked chicken breast because it’s super-easy and incredibly tender
  • Uses Japanese mayo if you like for extra umami, or regular mayo if you prefer
  • Accommodates my favorite style of pickles — or yours

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

  • You can use any cooking method for the chicken breast. Start with leftover roast chicken, or rotisserie from the grocery store. Poach it, bake it, or use your Instant Pot. My favorite method for this recipe is sous vide. It’s so tender and so easy.
  • I like to use my favorite full-sour pickles, but you can use any style that you like, from dill to bread and butter.
  • I often use Japanese-style Kewpie mayo in this salad, but you use regular store-bought or homemade mayo.
  • I’ve used our homemade herb salt here for extra flavor, but you can use regular salt instead.

How to make it

Here’s what you’ll do to make this recipe great. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

  1. Dice the chicken or shred it with two forks, whichever you prefer. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, pickle brine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
  2. Stir in the pickle, celery, and scallion. I like to dice the celery very small.
  3. Add the chicken.
  4. Stir it all together gently to coat. Serve alone, scooped onto a salad, on Romaine lettuce leaves, or in sandwiches.

Expert tips and FAQs

Got any variations?

Don’t we always? You can make this recipe with leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. Or, for a fabulous vegetarian version, rinse and drain a can of chickpeas, mash them partway with a potato masher, and use substitute them for the chicken.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

Yes! Chicken salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, making it a great contender for meal prep.

How should I serve it?

It’s great on its own, scooped over a green salad, spooned into Romaine lettuce “boats” as pictured, or in a sandwich.

More favorite savory salad recipes with protein

chicken salad with pickles on a plate

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chicken salad with pickles on a plate
4.70 from 10 votes

Chicken Salad with Pickles

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope
Our recipe is an umami-forward take on the classic. I love to use my favorite full-sour lactofermented pickles (available to buy online, if ya wanna), but you can use your favorite style, from dill to bread and butter. Chicken salad is great on its own, scooped onto a salad, tucked into Romaine leaves, or on a sandwich.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pound (454 grams) cooked chicken breast
  • 6 tablespoons (90 grams) mayo
  • 1 tablespoon pickle brine
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 celery ribs, diced small
  • 3 ounces full-sour or dill pickle, minced
  • 3 scallions, sliced

Instructions 

  • Dice the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, or shred it with two forks. Let cool completely before continuing.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, pickle brine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Stir in the celery, pickle, and scallion.
  • Gently fold in the chicken. Salad is ready to serve.

Notes

  1. I love to use sous vide chicken for this recipe since it’s incredibly easy, tender, and consistent. But if you’re not into sous vide, you can use any cooked chicken breast that you like, from poached to baked to rotisserie to Instant Pot shredded.
  2. Use your favorite mayo. I love to use Japanese-style Kewpie — or here’s how to make mayo yourself.
  3. Here I used my favorite herb salt.
  4. Chicken salad is great alone, with greens, or in a sandwich.
  5. You can make this recipe in advance. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.6g, Protein: 33.5g, Fat: 11.3g, Saturated Fat: 2.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 489mg, Fiber: 5.4g, Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @umamigirl or tag #umamigirl!

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Carolyn Gratzer Cope Bio Photo

About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Hi there, I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope, founder and publisher of Umami Girl. Join me in savoring life, one recipe at a time. I'm a professional recipe developer with training from the French Culinary Institute (now ICE) and a lifetime of studying, appreciating, and sharing food.

4.70 from 10 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

    1. Thanks, Kat. I use an automatic nutrition calculator that sometimes doesn’t understand all the ingredients. I recalculated with another app, so it should be closer to correct now — though these things are always an approximation. Appreciate your flagging this!