Easy Chicken Salad Recipe

I make lunch for my sweet hubby almost every single day. I try to make sure it is healthy, quick and easy – and I get bonus points if I use up my left overs from the night before!

This recipe for homemade chicken salad uses simple ingredients and takes only 10 minutes to make from start to finish. After that, you can serve it up on salad greens, scoop it into pita bread or half an avocado, roll it up in a tortilla for a wrap or serve it hot in a quesadilla or chicken melt.

These are the simple ingredients you'll need to make this basic chicken salad recipe:

• Chicken: You'll need cooked chicken, chopped or shredded. If you have leftover roast chicken, grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, chicken salad is a great way to use it all up. Use white or dark meat, or a combination of both if you prefer.

• Mayonnaise: Creamy mayonnaise binds together all the separate ingredients for chicken salad into a satisfying mixture of flavors and textures. Use your choice of regular or reduced fat mayonnaise. In this chicken salad recipe, the mayonnaise is enhanced with a tablespoon of lemon juice for brightness and a ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Taste the dressing before mixing it with the chicken; you may find it needs a little salt or other flavor-booster from your spice collection. NOTE: I have used Greek yogurt with this recipe as well but someone I know prefers it with mayo 😊

• Celery: Fresh, crisp celery adds both flavor and crunch. Be sure to chop the celery into small, uniform pieces so it's easier to eat.

• Almonds: Here's the secret ingredient that makes this chicken salad recipe stand apart. Blanched slivered almonds (available at any grocery store) are quickly pan-toasted to bring out their nutty flavor, and then added to the chicken salad mixture.

Ingredients

• ½ cup blanched slivered almonds

• ½ cup mayonnaise (more or less to your taste and texture)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat

• 2 stalk celery, chopped

• ¼ cup carrots, chopped

• ½ cup dried cranberries (or) chopped grapes for a sweet add in

• Fresh or dried parsley

Directions

1. Gather all your ingredients

2. Place almonds in a frying pan. Toast over medium-high heat, shaking frequently. Watch carefully, as they burn easily.

3. Mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl.

4. Toss with chicken, toasted almonds, celery, carrots, and cranberries (or) grapes. Add parsley to taste.

5. ENJOY

How to Store Chicken Salad

Store chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stored properly, chicken salad should last for three to five days. If you served chicken salad over salad greens, try to store the greens separately to prevent them from getting soggy and wilted.