Spicy Chicken Salad

A better name for this spicy chicken salad would be ‘the greatest, absolutely fantastic, totally different, outrageously superb chicken salad’, but that’s too long for a blog post title. This is not your typical chicken salad. Sure, it’s mayonnaise-creamy, but there are special, unexpected ingredients in there too. Like cheese (in a chicken salad????! Seriously, who does that?). And bell pepper (why didn’t I think of that? It adds great crunch and flavor). And tart sour cream???! And my favorite flavors, spicy smoky chipotle and cooling creamy avocado. What a great and definitely different chicken salad this is!

Spicy Chicken Salad

I wouldn’t change a thing about this spicy chicken salad. If you aren’t going to use the entire batch at once, I do recommend that you only mix in avocado with what you will use. After all, the avocado isn’t going to keep for long. You’re better off mixing it in when you need it.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Got leftover fried chicken? Also try my fried chicken salad and one of our favorites, Big Daddy’s Kick’n Chicken Salad.

Spicy Chicken Salad
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4 from 1 vote

Spicy Chicken Salad

A better name for this spicy chicken salad would be ‘absolutely fantastic, totally different, outrageously great chicken salad’, but that’s too long for a blog post title. This is not your typical chicken salad..
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken salad, spicy
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 1050kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chipotle powder, onion powder and cumin in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
  • Add the chicken, bell pepper and cheese and stir.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  • Gently fold in the avocado and serve on bread, in wraps, or on crispy lettuce.

Nutrition

Calories: 1050kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 124g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 382mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 1443mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Chicken Salad Crescents

The original recipe for chicken salad crescents on the Plain Chicken blog was for small bite-sized rolls, perfect for a party appetizer. I decided to go big and serve them as the main course for lunch, and they were perfect! The super-light crunchy dough makes for the perfect wrapper around chicken salad. You can use your own chicken salad recipe of course, but I was particularly fond this version, which has Worcestershire sauce in it. The Worcestershire really added a great flavor dimension along with the extra sharp cheddar. They were fantastic!

Chicken Salad Crescents

If you do use your own chicken salad recipe to make these chicken salad crescents, you might want to cut down on the mayonnaise. You want the salad to be thick, not too thick, but thick enough to stand up to 20 minutes in the oven. Too thin and it’s going to run all over the place, leaving you with a pan of sadness!

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try my creamy smoked chicken salad sandwiches.

Chicken Salad Crescents
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4 from 1 vote

Chicken Salad Crescents

You can use your own chicken salad recipe of course, but I was particularly fond this version, which has Worcestershire sauce in it. The Worcestershire really added a great flavor dimension along with the extra sharp cheddar. They were fantastic!
Course Appetizer or Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken salad, crescent rolls
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 24 rolls
Calories 115kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • In a bowl mix together the chicken, celery, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and mayonnaise.
  • Open crescent roll cans and separate dough into triangles.
  • Add a half slice of cheese to the center of each piece of dough.
  • Top with 2 tablespoons, more or less, of the chicken salad and roll up the dough as you would a regular crescent roll.
  • Sprinkle rolls with poppy seeds.
  • Transfer rolls to parchment paper- or Silpat-lined baking sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I had some fried chicken leftover in the fridge. I’m completely ok with chowing down on cold leftover chicken. But I’m even more ok with chopping it up and using it in fried chicken salad sandwiches. It’s the perfect way to use up leftovers, and the perfect sandwich for a picnic.

Fried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is an incredible version of chicken salad. I love the buttermilk in the mayonnaise. The mustard adds a bit of kick. But all the flavors in the sauce mixture do not overpower the chicken. You can still tell that there’s fried chicken in there. It’s a great twist.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Don’t have leftover fried chicken on hand? Any cooked chicken will do just fine in this salad. Want a spicier chicken salad? Try my spicy chicken salad sandwiches or my fried chicken breast sandwiches. And one of my all-time favorites, Big Daddy’s Kick’n chicken salad is a must-make too!

Fried Chicken Salad Sandwiches
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5 from 1 vote

Fried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I had some fried chicken leftover in the fridge. I’m completely ok with chowing down on cold leftover chicken. But I’m even more ok with chopping it up and using it in fried chicken salad sandwiches. 
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken, chicken salad, deep-fried, sandwich
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 675kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, Italian seasoning, cayenne and lemon in a large bowl.
  • Add in the chicken, parsley, celery and green onions. Stir gently to combine and coat with the dressing ingredients.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Serve chicken salad on croissants.

Nutrition

Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1245IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Creamy Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich

We’re big fans of chicken salad sandwiches. And whenever chicken goes on sale I’ll load up and either roast the chicken on my Big Easy or toss it on my Weber Smoky Mountain smoker. We make a traditional chicken salad sandwich and sometimes, a Creole chicken salad sandwich. I recently ran across this creamy smoked chicken salad sandwich recipe.

It’s a variation on the traditional approach, adding a bit of mustard and chopped pickles. The mustard and pickles really make a big difference in the salad. A little crunch from the veggies and pickle, and a little zing from the mustard. Perfect!

Creamy Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich

I used smoked chicken breasts in our creamy smoked chicken salad sandwiches, but smoked thighs are also fantastic!

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try my chicken salad crescents. Prefer crab instead? Make some creamy crab salad sandwiches instead!

This recipe is based on a recipe from Extra Ordinary BBQ.

Creamy Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich
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4.50 from 2 votes

Creamy Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich

This is a variation on the traditional approach, adding a bit of mustard and chopped pickles. A little crunch from the veggies and pickle, and a little zing from the mustard. Perfect!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken salad, sandwich, smoked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 488kcal

Ingredients

For the chicken salad

For the sandwiches

  • 6 buns or 12 slices bread
  • chicken salad from above
  • 12 leaves lettuce optional
  • 12 slices tomato optional

Instructions

For the chicken salad

  • Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the sandwiches

  • Warm the bread if desired.
  • Top with salad and lettuce and tomato if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 660IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 11mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Marguerite’s Creole Chicken Salad

This is hands-down, by far the best chicken salad ever. It has everything you’ve ever dreamed of that should be in a chicken salad. From the ‘usual’ celery to creole mustard, to horseradish, this is nothing but delicious. I’m not usually even a fan of horseradish but it really, really works in Marguerite’s Creole chicken salad.

Marguerites Creole Chicken Salad

I brined a few bone-in chicken breasts using my usual technique, substituting a few tablespoons of creole seasoning for the oregano.I then roasted the chicken on my Big Easy oil-less fryer. The chicken, as always, came out perfectly tender and juicy, just right for Marguerite’s Creole chicken salad. You can of course substitute any cooked chicken you’d like.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

This recipe comes from Marguerite at Cajun Delights, my favorite place for all thing Cajun, from food to music.

Also try my chicken sauce piquante.

Marguerite's Creole Chicken Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Marguerite’s Creole Chicken Salad

This is hands-down, by far the best chicken salad ever. It has everything you’ve ever dreamed of that should be in a chicken salad. From the ‘usual’ celery to creole mustard, to horseradish, this is nothing but delicious.
Course Main
Cuisine Cajun
Keyword chicken, Creole, salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 430kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients except the bread, lettuce and tomatoes.
  • Serve salad on croissants (warmed lightly if desired) topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 621mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3456IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.