Makes: 2 cups (about 3-4 servings) | Total Time: 25 minutes
Another Wednesday, another chicken salad recipe!! This one is fun. It’s a dill pickle chicken salad at its core, but I also mixed in some crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese to really ramp up the flavor. It’s easy to make, comes together in about 30 minutes, and makes about two cups of chicken salad (3-4 servings.) You can totally double or triple the recipe if you want more!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 10-12 ounces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- pinch of freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
For the Chicken Salad:
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise (I love Duke’s mayo)
- 1/4 cup full-fat, Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 cups Diced Chicken (from above)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion (or green onion or chives)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Dill Pickles
- 1/4 cup Crispy Bacon, chopped (about 2-3 strips)
- 1/3 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Pickle Juice, or more to taste
- Salt & freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
Quick Ingredient Notes:
- Diced chicken I prefer the diced (or chunks) of chicken in this recipe. If you’d rather keep this one super simple and use leftover chicken, please do! Shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken is also a perfect shortcut for a lot of flavor in a short amount of time.
- Pickles: I used Grillo’s pickles for the first test, then Claussen dill pickles for the second test. I’m (weirdly) not usually the biggest fan of Grillo’s, but they were actually SO good in this recipe! This totally comes down to personal preference, and both brands worked great. I highly recommend using good pickles that you know you like for this.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese has a bolder flavor that can stand up to the other flavors in this chicken salad. Mild cheddar tends to get lost in the mix, so I suggest using a sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese. Or if you’re a Trader Joe’s person, the Unexpected Cheddar is perfect in this!
- Salt & pepper I almost ALWAYS end up adding more salt and pepper to chicken salad recipes. Just add a pinch of each, mix thoroughly, taste, and repeat until you’re like “ohhh that’s so good.”
- Pickle Juice adds a hit of acidic balance to the richness of this chicken salad. I honestly use more than a tablespoon, but it does make the chicken salad thinner. So add more with caution so you don’t end up with a soupy chicken salad situation.
You could totally make this a meal prep situation by making it ahead of time, then using it in wraps, lettuce cups, or even just as an easy snack throughout the week. It may lose a little crunch (the bacon and pickles will soften), but it’ll be really delicious!
How to Make It
Step One: Cook the Chicken. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, garlic powder, and a crack of black pepper. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive or avocado oil into a nonstick pan, and cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side until the exterior is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Set the chicken aside to cool.
Note: If the chicken breast is REALLY thick, slice it horizontally into two thinner cutlets. Season them generously with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and adjust cooking times.
Step Two: Combine the Creamy Ingredients. (Do this while the chicken is cooking!) In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup plain, full-fat Greek Yogurt, and 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard. Use a spoon to stir them together until evenly mixed.
Step Three: Make the Chicken Salad. Once the chicken has cooled, cut it into 1/2″(ish) pieces (it doesn’t have to be exact). Add 1 1/2 cups Diced Chicken, 1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion (or green onion), 1/3 cup finely chopped Dill Pickles, 1/4 cup chopped Crispy Bacon, 1/3 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder to the bowl with the mayo mixture. Stir to combine everything well. Stir in the pickle juice until well combined.
Step Four: Taste and Adjust. Taste a spoonful, then add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add more of any other ingredients if you want!
A Flavor Journal Notes
My notes for making this as amazing as possible!
- Let it sit if you can!
This chicken salad is great when you eat it immediately after making it, but if you have an hour (or so), cover it and let it hang out in the refrigerator, the flavors really settle into the chicken and it gets even better. - Diced or shredded chicken will work.
I like diced chicken for some reason in this recipe, but you can totally use shredded rotisserie chicken instead! This absolutely comes down to a personal preference. - Add some heat!
Wanna get wild? Add some pickled or fresh jalapeños to kick the heat up a notch. You could also add a dash of hot sauce if that’s the vibe you’re feeling. - Use it in wraps or as a sandwich. Or eat it as is.
Literally eat this on whatever sounds good. Toasted bread, toasted croissants, or even in a lettuce wrap (for a more low carb situation) are all amazing options. It’s totally your call. - Add more flavor. Not that it needs it, but if you’re like really into the whole dill flavor, you could add fresh dill or dried dill to kick that flavor up even more. Add some celery for more crunch if that sounds good, too!
I was literally just on a mission a couple of weeks ago to make more variations of chicken salad, and this just sounded really good to me. I also had a ton of pickles leftover from a client photoshoot, so I was like … why not use them in every way possible?! 😅 There’s a burger place in the Crossroads in KC that makes an insanely good pickle margarita, so I feel like that’s my next move. If you’re in KC and you’re a pickle lover, that marg is a MUST. TRY.
What to Serve With It
- If you’re making this into a sandwich, it’s perfect alongside crunchy kettle chips (literally any flavor) and a fat dill pickle, or a super simple mixed green salad with this Homemade Small Batch Ranch Dressing.
- You can also eat it in lettuce wraps, on crackers, toasted pita, pita chips, in a warm pita … you get the idea. 🙂
- If you want to turn this into a Tuesday evening treat with a drink, I’d pair it with a dry rosé wine or an ice cold pale ale or wheat beer. 🍺
How to Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Toss everything together again before serving for a fresher texture.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
These are all small batch(ish) chicken salad recipes that make between 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chicken salad.
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Pickle Bacon Cheddar Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 10-12 ounces boneless, skinless Chicken Breast
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- pinch of freshly cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
For the Chicken Salad:
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise I love Duke’s
- 1/4 cup full-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 cups Diced Chicken from above
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion or green onion
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Dill Pickles
- 1/4 cup chopped Crispy Bacon (about 2-3 strips)
- 1/3 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Pickle Juice plus more to taste
- Salt & freshly cracked Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken. Season the 10-12 ounces boneless, skinless Chicken Breast on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Saltand 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder. Crack a pinch of freshly cracked Black Pepper onto each side. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons Olive Oil or avocado oil into a nonstick pan, and cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side until the exterior is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Set the chicken aside to cool.
- Combine the Creamy Ingredients. (Do this while the chicken is cooking!) In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup full-fat Plain Greek Yogurt and 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard. Use a spoon to stir them together until evenly mixed.
- Make the Chicken Salad. Once the chicken has cooled, cut it into 1/2″(ish) pieces (it doesn’t have to be exact). Add 1 1/2 cups Diced Chicken, 1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion (or green onion), 1/3 cup finely chopped Dill Pickles, 1/4 cup chopped Crispy Bacon, 1/3 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder to the bowl with the mayo mixture. Stir to combine everything well. Stir in 1 tablespoon Pickle Juice until well combined.
- Taste and Adjust. Taste a spoonful, then add Salt & freshly cracked Black Pepper to taste. You can also add more of any other ingredients if you want to!
Notes
Nutrition
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