Chicken salad with pickles is nothing new, but our Dill Pickle Chicken Salad takes it to the next level with the perfect combination of flavors and textures all in a creamy, tangy dressing. No shortage of pickles in this one!
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Not a pickle lover? This one probably isn’t for you and you might want to keep on moving!
We’re embracing our love of dill pickles today, because well…they’re delicious. Cold, crispy, tangy, salty, they just add such a punch of flavor and I can’t get enough of them.
You saw me take potato salad to the next level with our dill pickle potato salad and now here we are with this dill pickle chicken salad.
You’ve got the tangy, crunchy pickles with the creamy dressing, hard boiled eggs, savory shredded chicken, and buttery pecans. You can enjoy this chicken salad all by itself or spread it on some bread or a croissant to make a sandwich! It’s also delicious as a dip for crackers!
If you’re looking for more recipes with pickles I’ve got a few really good options. These air fried pickles are amazing, and our dill pickle dip and this Pickle de Gallo recipe are also favorites of ours!
♥ What We Love About Chicken Salad with Pickles:
- Textures: The crunchy pickle and pecans with the shredded chicken, eggs, onion, and creamy dressing is a wonderful combination of textures that won’t disappoint!
- Flavors: The ingredients in this recipe have some strong flavors! Red onion, dill pickle, Dijon mustard, hard boiled eggs. The combination just works and the dill pickles just shine through and add a huge flavor punch.
- Classic Favorite: Chicken salad is a classic that can be served in a variety of ways. This is perfect for serving lunch to friends, at a baby shower or special brunch, or just for meal prep for yourself through the week!
Ingredient Notes:
Shredded Chicken – This recipe starts with already cooked and shredded chicken. Try my easy crockpot shredded chicken, shred up our Instant Pot whole chicken, or just pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store!
Dill Pickles – We like to start with baby dill pickles and chop them up into smaller pieces. If you want smaller or larger pieces feel free to chop the pickles as finely as you like!
Hard Boiled Eggs – This is an easy way to add extra protein and stretch your chicken salad. Plus, it adds a nice texture!
Pecans – Adding chopped pecans is a great way to add some more crunchy, buttery texture to the salad.
Red Onion – We love the bite of red onion in our chicken salad, but if you want a less strong flavor, soak them in cold water for 10 minutes.
Dressing Ingredients – This tangy, creamy chicken salad dressing is made with mayonnaise, fresh dill, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, and cracked pepper!
Variations:
- Swap the red onion for green onions or chives for a milder flavor without the crunch of an onion.
- Want even more pickle flavor? Swap the ACV for pickle juice!
- Use slivered almonds in place of pecans if you prefer.
- Use a combo of dill pickle relish and larger pieces of chopped dill pickles to give more variation in the textures and ensure every bite gets some of those pickles.
Step by Step Instructions:
Combine: To get started you’ll simply add the already cooked, shredded chicken to a mixing bowl along with the hard boiled eggs, pickles, pecans, and red onion.
Dressing: Add the mayo, dill, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk together until well combined.
Finish: Add the dressing to the bowl with the chicken and stir well to combine. Add more mayo if you prefer a wetter chicken salad. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve: This is delicious on a piece of bread (try it toasted!) or a croissant. It also makes a great dip for crackers. Keep it low carb and enjoy with a fork or in a lettuce wrap.
🍽 Chicken Salad Serving Suggestions:
You can serve this dill pickle chicken salad just like you would any other chicken salad recipe! Spread it on your choice of bread (toasted or not) and enjoy a creamy, tangy, savory, crunchy sandwich.
It’s also great as a wrap with some flour tortillas, or a lettuce wrap if you’re trying to eat low carb!
We also like to serve chicken salad with crackers or chips! It’s great for dipping.
Serving this at a baby shower or other get together? Try it with other salads, like broccoli salad, ramen noodle salad, vegetable salad, or watermelon mint salad.
FAQ’s:
How to store leftover chicken salad?
You can keep this chicken salad stored in a covered bowl or container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days! And it’s even better when it has set for a bit which makes it great for making ahead of time.
Can I freeze this chicken salad recipe?
While it is safe to freeze chicken salad, the textures won’t be quite right. We recommend only refrigerating the leftovers and not freezing this one.
Is there a substitute for mayonnaise in chicken salad?
Mayonnaise makes a great base for chicken salad dressing, but you can swap it for plain Greek yogurt as well. The flavor will be a bit different, but it does add a lot of protein and works well in place of mayonnaise.
More Chicken Salad recipes:
- Loaded Chicken Salad
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Green Goddess Chicken Salad
- Keto Chicken Salad
- Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
Recipe
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
This Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is an amazing combination of flavors and textures! Crunchy pickles, pecans, and onion with shredded chicken and a creamy, tangy dressing. It's perfect for sandwiches!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep10 minutes minutes
Total10 minutes minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken cooked, shredded, and cold from the fridge
- 2 large hard boiled eggs chopped
- ½ cup chopped dill pickles
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar see note
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper more to taste
Instructions
Add the chicken, boiled eggs, pickles, pecans, and red onion to a mixing bowl.
Add the mayonnaise, dill, dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
Add the mayo to the chicken and stir to combine. Add additional mayo if you prefer a more wet chicken salad.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve on your choice of bread or with crackers or a lettuce wrap.
Tips & Notes:
Swap the vinegar for pickle juice to add even more of that dill pickle flavor to your salad.
If your dill pickles are very salty or you’re sensitive to salt, you can taste the salad before seasoning with salt.
We like to use baby dills for this recipe and chop them up fairly small. You can also use a mixture of chopped pickles and relish so that the pickles are incorporated more into every bite.
The onion can be swapped for green onion or chives, if you prefer less of a crunch from the onion. Alternately, soak the red onion in cold water for 10 minutes to lessen the strong flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 816kcal (41%)| Carbohydrates: 2g (1%)| Protein: 3g (6%)| Fat: 88g (135%)| Saturated Fat: 23g (144%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g| Monounsaturated Fat: 37g| Trans Fat: 0.03g| Cholesterol: 128mg (43%)| Sodium: 457mg (20%)| Potassium: 81mg (2%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 1g (1%)| Vitamin A: 132IU (3%)| Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)| Calcium: 25mg (3%)| Iron: 0.5mg (3%)
Author: Karly Campbell
Course:Main Course, Salad
Cuisine:American
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