We love all the different ways you can use a premade rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken to make a meal. And chicken salad certainly tops our list of fast, yummy things you can make. From a creamy curried salad to a bright salad with Asian-inspired flavors, we've got fast and easy chicken salads we're sure you're going to love.
Chicken Curry Salad
We love the warm, spicy flavors of curry, and it's delicious in this cold chicken salad. It's filled with all the good stuff that gives it a ton of delicious flavor and lots of texture to keep it interesting. The recipe makes four servings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken meat, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ½ red onion, finely minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- Juice of 1 lime
- Zest of ½ a lime
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the chicken meat, celery, red onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, curry powder, lime juice, and lime zest.
- Toss with the chicken mixture. Refrigerate or serve immediately.
Variations
You can vary this basic recipe with a few ingredients:
- Try adding ¼ cup of dried cranberries or golden raisins.
- Replace the lime juice with 1 tablespoon of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
Chicken and Fennel Salad
We love fennel for its light licorice flavor and its divine crispy crunch, and it's the perfect complement to chicken in this salad. The recipe makes four servings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken meat, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 4 cups microgreens
- 5 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the chicken meat, fennel, microgreens, apple, and radish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Toss the vinaigrette with the salad and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Try serving this with a delicious crusty bread, such as French bread. You can vary the recipe slightly by replacing the apple cider vinegar with an equal amount of balsamic vinegar.
Asian-Inspired Chicken Salad
Sweet, spice, heat, and acid — it's the perfect Asian-inspired flavor profile, and it makes a mighty fine salad. Our salad serves four.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken meat, chopped
- 4 cups shredded or torn lettuce
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 bunch radishes, julienned
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger root
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken, lettuce, purple cabbage, carrot, radishes, and bell pepper to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, Chinese hot mustard, Sriracha, garlic, honey, ginger root, and salt.
- Toss the dressing with the salad and serve immediately.
Variations
You can dial the heat up or down in this recipe by controlling the amount of Chinese hot mustard and sriracha you add (we like a LOT). Try adding some julienned Asian pear (about 1 pear) to add a little sweetness to the salad.
A Healthy, Delicious Meal
Chicken salad doesn't have to be boring. Whether you like a creamy mayo-based classic or you like mixing chicken with crunchy veggies, these salads hit all the right notes.
