I have never, ever been a chicken salad girl. There is just something about the standard, mayo-heavy deli versions that never really did it for me. But as the weather starts warming up, my appetite completely changes. When it is absolutely too hot outside to even think about eating a steaming hot meal, I immediately pivot to cold food mode. I wanted a refreshing, satisfying recipe that I could meal prep ahead of time and grab straight from the fridge to enjoy.
Since I don’t usually love traditional chicken salad but am completely obsessed with pickles, I started thinking: why not combine the two?
Let me tell y’all, this Pickle Chicken Salad absolutely DELIVERS. It is a literal flavor explosion and a total textural delight. To get that perfect balance, I used a mix of chopped bread and butter pickles and classic dill pickles. The result? An incredible sweet and savory vibe that pairs beautifully with crunchy celery, sharp red onion, and fresh dill.
Plus, we are skipping the heavy, full-fat dressing and making a lightened-up version using plain Greek yogurt and light mayo. It keeps the salad unbelievably creamy while giving it a protein boost! It is also incredible for meal prep. You can whip up a massive batch, pop it in an airtight container, and have an easy lunch ready to go all week long. I enjoy it on bread as a sandwich, with crackers, or in a lettuce wrap. Trust me, even if you think you aren’t a chicken salad person, this one will completely win you over.
How to Make Pickle Chicken Salad
The beauty of this recipe is that it requires very little actual cooking and comes together with minimal effort. You’ll start by poaching your chicken breasts. Just drop them into a pot, cover them with water, and bring it to a boil until they are fully cooked through. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temp reaches 165F (about 10 min boiling, but totally depends on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts).
Now for my favorite kitchen hack: instead of burning your fingers trying to shred the chicken with two forks, throw the warm chicken straight into your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn it on low, and watch it perfectly shred the chicken into medium-fine pieces in a matter of seconds! You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer to achieve the perfect shred. Once it’s shredded, pop it in the fridge to cool down completely.
While the chicken cools, you’ll prep your fresh mix-ins. Wash your celery well and finely dice it alongside the red onion and your pickles. To get a sweet and salty combo, I did a mix of bread and butter pickles mixed with dill pickles, but you can go all one pickle flavor if you prefer one to the other.
The crown jewel of this dish is the creamy dressing, made with extra pickle juice to amp up the flavor. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, light mayo, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and plenty of freshly chopped dill. Once the dressing is smooth, dump your cooled chicken and diced veggies into a large bowl, pour that vibrant, herb-flecked dressing over the top, and toss until everything is beautifully coated.
Tips and Best Practices
- Shred with a mixer: Seriously, do not sleep on the stand mixer trick for shredding chicken. It creates the perfect, uniform texture that absorbs the dressing beautifully without any manual labor.
- Cool the chicken fully: Make sure your poached chicken has cooled down completely to room temperature before adding the dressing. If the chicken is too hot, it will melt the yogurt and mayo base, leaving you with a watery salad.
- Let it marinate: While you can totally dive into this immediately, letting it sit in the fridge for an hour or two allows the chicken to soak up all that gorgeous pickle juice and fresh dill flavor. It tastes even better on day two!
- Adjust the sweetness: If you prefer a more intensely savory salad, you can easily tweak the pickle ratio by using all dill pickles instead of the bread and butter variety. If you prefer all sweet, go for all bread and butter pickles.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Can I use leftover or rotisserie chicken? Absolutely! To save even more time, you can swap the poached chicken breasts for about 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken or any leftover pre-cooked chicken you have in the fridge.
How long does this keep in the fridge? Because of the fresh Greek yogurt and light mayo, this salad holds up amazingly well for meal prep. Store it tightly covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.
What is the best way to serve this chicken salad? This salad is incredibly versatile! It is elite served as a sandwich on toasted bread, scooped into lettuce wraps for a low-carb option, or eaten straight out of the bowl with chips or crackers.
More High Protein Recipe Ideas
I love a high protein recipe that doesn’t taste like it, so I have quite a few! Here are some of my favorites:
- High Protein Chimichurri Steak Pasta Salad (another great meal prep option)
- Caesar Chicken Salad with Homemade Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Healthy Pickle Dip if you’re in the mood for more pickles
- High Protein Mac & Cheese
- High Protein Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Pickle Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Stand or Hand Mixer optional, to shred chicken
- Mixing Bowls
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken breast poached and shredded
- 3/4 cup celery finely diced
- 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
- 1.5 cups pickles diced; 1 cup bread and butter pickles, 1/2 cup dill pickles
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup light mayo
- 1/4 cup pickle juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place your chicken breasts into a large pot and pour in enough water to cover the chicken by about one inch.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook the chicken thoroughly until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and transfer it directly into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Use the paddle attachment on low speed to quickly shred the chicken into a medium-fine consistency. It should be shredded in about 35-45 seconds.
- Set the shredded chicken aside or into the fridge and let it cool down completely.
- Wash the celery stalks well and finely dice them along with the red onion. Finely dice your bread and butter pickles and dill pickles into small pieces.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, light mayo, pickle juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, chopped fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Whisk the dressing ingredients together until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.
- Add the cooled shredded chicken, diced celery, diced red onion, and diced pickles into a large mixing or serving bowl.
- Pour the creamy dill dressing generously over the chicken and vegetable mixture. Use a large spoon or spatula to stir and toss everything together until the ingredients are fully integrated and evenly coated in the dressing.
- Serve the chicken salad immediately or cover the bowl tightly and store it in the refrigerator for an easy, cold meal prep option throughout the week.
