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Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe

5 from 113 reviews

This Southern Style Chicken Salad is a creamy, flavorful combination of chopped rotisserie chicken, mayo, celery, red onion, and a touch of spice from Cajun seasoning. Perfect for sandwiches, croissants, or served atop a bed of lettuce, this classic salad is quick to prepare and ideal for a comforting lunch or light dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Salad Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (preferably from store-bought rotisserie chicken)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s Mayo recommended)
  • 2 celery hearts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup sweet relish
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or substitute with seasoned salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional for Serving

  • Butter croissants
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Tomato slices

Instructions

  1. Prepare the ingredients: Begin by chopping the cooked rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the celery hearts, red onion, and hard-boiled eggs. Measure out the mayonnaise, sweet relish, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Combine the ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the chopped chicken, mayonnaise, celery, red onion, sweet relish, chopped hard-boiled eggs, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Use a spoon or spatula to mix all the ingredients together thoroughly until well combined and creamy.
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning: Sample the chicken salad and add extra Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic powder, or black pepper as needed to suit your taste preferences. Stir again lightly to incorporate any additional seasoning.
  4. Serve: Serve the chicken salad as a filling for sandwiches using butter croissants, or as a salad over fresh lettuce and tomato slices if desired. Enjoy immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

  • For a spicier version, increase the Cajun seasoning slightly or add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
  • Use Duke’s Mayo for an authentic Southern flavor, but any good-quality mayonnaise will work.
  • Leftover chicken salad keeps well refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • For a lower-fat option, replace half the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
  • Hard-boiled eggs add texture and richness, but can be omitted if preferred.

Keywords: Chicken salad, Southern chicken salad, rotisserie chicken recipe, creamy chicken salad, sandwich filling, easy chicken salad