Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

This dill pickle chicken salad is creamy packed with dill pickle flavor and also packed with protein and fibre. Loaded with chopped dill pickles, fresh and dried herbs, cucumber, celery and a creamy dressing made with Greek yogurt, a little mayo, Dijon and pickle brine. Plus we added in some white beans and chickpeas for extra texture and fiber. We live off these types of salads all summer long. It makes the perfect lunch and even light dinner. It will make a pickle lover out of you if you aren’t already!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Easy to make
• Low fuss recipe - especially if you are using pre cooked chicken
• Loads of flavor - not a boring chicken salad
• Protein-packed & loads of fiber thanks to the beans and chicken
• Great for meal prep
• Totally customizable - use it as a base recipe and add your own spin to it
• The perfect no cook meal - easy lunches, easy snack and even light dinner (yes sometimes dinner!)
  
  

Creamy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad Recipe Ingredients

• CHICKEN: I use pre-cooked chicken for this chicken salad, most often rotisserie chicken for an easy quick version, but leftover chicken of almost any kind, including grilled chicken, can be used. Or you can use poached chicken or roast your own chicken. To end up with 3 cups diced chicken, you will need to cook approx 1 pound of raw, skinless boneless chicken. Or, buy a cooked rotisserie chicken that weighs between 2-3 pounds. Some like to use canned chicken and that it totally fine. A 12.5 oz can/ standard size: Yields about 1 ½ cups so you will need 2 cans for this recipe at that size.
• BEANS: We love the addition of beans for extra protein fiber and texture. Our favorites to add are white beans / cannellini beans and chickpeas.
• DILL PICKLES: Dill pickles are really the star of this pasta salad. We love how deliciously crunchy and briny they are. If you prefer to do half dill pickles and half sweet pickles you can. We did 1 cups dicd dill pickles but for more dill pickle flavor feel free to add more to taste.
• GREEN ONIONS: Add nice flavor to the salad and go so well with the dressing. Feel free to use chives for the green onions
• FRESH HERBS: I use fresh parsley and dill for this recipe. However, you can add other herbs or herbs of your choice like cilantro, basil, mint or thyme or tarragon as well.
• MAYONNAISE: Mayonnaise provides the creamy base of the dressing and binds all of the ingredients together, helps prevent them from separating. Feel free to use regular mayo which is tangy and rich or Miracle Whip which is sweeter - feel free to use whichever one you prefer but I always go for the classic savoury creamy mayo in mine. Please adjust amounts to taste
• SOUR CREAM or GREEK YOGURT: It adds a fabulous tanginess to the dressing. It’s a wonderful addition but if you prefer yogurt to sour cream or vice versa you could definitely use that as a substitute. I know some recipes call for buttermilk - feel free to add some to this creamy pasta salad for extra tang. Usually I only add a touch of it to thin out the dressing if needed. I always use sour cream cause it helps the pasta salad stay creamy - Greek yogurt doesn’t stay as creamy when mixed in with the pasta and when chilled.
• PICKLE JUICE: A splash of pickle brine is a must for the dressing in this dill pickle pasta salad. If you prefer to add a little fresh lemon juice you can up to 1 tablespoon for extra bright tart flavor.
• RED ONIONS: We use red onion or shallot for this recipe but if you love all things pickled you could also use chopped pickled red onions.
• CELERY & CUCUMBER: Crisp celery and cucumber add some crunch - you could also add other or extra veggies like shredded carrots or diced bell pepper.
• MUSTARD: I like to use Dijon mustard but you can use whole grainy mustard or regular yellow mustard or a combination of them - feel free to use any type of mustard you like
• SEASONING: I used salt and black pepper, dried dill, garlic powder and onion powder for the dressing. Adjust amounts to taste. If you would like a little kick you could add a little cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes or add a dash of hot sauce to the dressing.
• OPTIONAL ADD INS: We also love to add cooked crumbled bacon and even some crumbled feta cheese or a classic add in would also be some shredded cheddar cheese. That would really put this salad over the top! If you wanted to add some bright citrus flavor you could add a squeeze or a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.
  
  

How To Make Chicken Salad

1. Shred Chicken: Cook chicken if needed and or chop cooked chicken or shred it
2. Chop All Veggies: Prepare all your veggies and other add ins - chop veggies, onions, herbs and pickles if using
3. Prepare Dressing: Whisk together the dressing ingredients - taste and adjust flavors
4. Assemble Salad: Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl along with the dressing and toss well to coat.
5. Adjust Flavours & Creaminess: Add more mayonnaise, yogurt, salt and pepper, mustard, lemon juice or whatever you think might need to be adjusted to taste
6. Serve: Chill until ready to serve in a sandwich, or as a dip for veggies or pita chips or any crisps you like.
   
   

What to Serve With Chicken Salad

Chicken salad classically makes a great chicken salad sandwich on toasted or untoasted bread lined with fresh greens of choice lettuce leaves, romaine, spinach or arugula, tomatoes or even sliced avocados adding richer flavor to your sandwich. It is also great in buns, croissants or in or on pita bread. Like egg salad and tuna salad, chicken salad can also be served as a dip for crisps and crackers, carrots, celery, cucumber or pita chips. We love dill pickle chicken salad in a sandwich with dill pickle chips or salt and vinegar chips in it or on the side - if you know you know!

Chicken Salad Storage & Make ahead

• STORAGE: Place the chicken salad into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Its probably good for up to 5 days but optimally I would say for fresh flavor 2-3 days
• MAKE AHEAD: This chicken salad keeps well up to 2-3 days, so it can be made ahead. Just remember any leftovers will not keep as long and the veggies may get a little less crunchy after day 1 or 2
• FREEZING: Chicken salad doesn’t work well in the freezer, the veggies turn to mush and the mayo sometimes breaks. This is fast and easy to make, so no need to freeze it
  
  

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