If you love pickles, you need to try this delicious and tangy Dill Pickle Chicken Salad recipe. It is perfect on its own or on a sandwich or wrap!
Make-ahead
Minimal-prep
You’ll Learn: How to make shreddable, tender chicken
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for meal prep – I love chicken salad for meal prep and I love dill pickles so combining them to make this dill pickle chicken salad is perfect! Make a batch on Sunday and enjoy for the next few days for lunch.
- Delicious mix of texture and tang – You get the crunch from the cucumber and tang from pickles and mayonnaise to get the perfect flavor combination. Dill pickle lovers are sure to be obsessed with this recipe!
- So many ways to serve – Serve it over lettuce for a low carb option, pack it with crackers for a delicious lunch at work or make a sandwich with toasted bread for a classic meal.
- Customize to make it your own – Use plain greek yogurt instead of mayo for more protein, use sweet pickles instead of dill or add extra fresh herbs. There are so many different ways to make this high protein meal.
Serving Suggestions
There are many ways to serve this dill pickle salad. If you are trying to keep your meals low carb then you can serve it on chopped lettuce or in lettuce cups like a little lettuce wrap. I like to use butter lettuce or romaine lettuce to make lettuce wraps for easy lunches during the work week.
I also like to use it like a classic chicken salad recipe for sandwiches on some toasted sourdough bread with some cheddar cheese and fresh lettuce with some potato chips on the side. It is also delicious rolled up in large tortilla like a wrap. I always add some shredded cheese to my wraps.
Some days I like to make a little snack plate for lunch with some of this delicious chicken salad, crackers, hard-boiled eggs and extra pickles on the side.
If you enjoy easy lunches this, make this tuna and egg salad next.
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – I simply poach the chicken in water, but you can add extra flavor by poaching it in chicken broth
- Cucumber – fresh cucumber adds lots of crunch that you crave in your chicken salad.
- Dill pickles and dill pickle juice – chop up some of your favorite dill pickles then grab some of the extra pickle juice from that same pickle jar! I personally like to use crunchy pickles like grillos brand.
- Mayonnaise – everyone has the kind of mayo that they like best. Lately I do a mix of mayonnaise and greek yogurt for the perfect balance of creaminess and tang.
- Fresh dill – fresh herbs really elevate the flavor of this easy chicken salad recipe and makes the dill flavor from the pickles pop.
- Crushed red pepper – I like to add just a pinch of red pepper flakes to this recipe for a hit of spice. You could also use just some plain black pepper or omit the pepper completely. I also sometimes add a few dashes of hot sauce for a spicy kick.
Ingredient Substitutions
Feel free to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts. You could also use a prepared rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even easier. You can also use leftover chicken if you made a big batch of grilled chicken.
I prefer the taste of dill pickles, but if you would like a slightly sweet pickle salad, feel free to use bread and butter pickles in place of dill pickles. To make this pickle chicken salad a little spicier you could use spicy dill pickles.
Save time chopping your pickles and use a relish instead. You can use a dill pickle relish for tang or a sweet relish for a sweet and savory dish. If I use sweet pickles i like to add a teaspoon or two of dijon mustard to add some extra sour and tang.
If you do not have fresh dill to use, you can use dried dill instead, but you will only need about 1 tsp of dried dill. I find this salad to be salty enough from the mayonnaise and pickles, but you should always taste it and add salt as needed.
Change up the flavor by adding some extra dry seasonings to the wet ingredients like some garlic powder, onion powder or even some ranch seasoning powder.
Add extra veggies and crunch to this dish by adding some chopped celery, red onion or even green onions. For extra protein, use nonfat plain greek yogurt in place of all or half of the mayonnaise.
How to make
Step 1: Poach chicken Breasts
To begin, place chicken breasts in a sauce pan and fill with water until the chicken is covered with at least 2 inches of water (Image 1).
Then, heat the pot over high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for the chicken for 14 minutes and remove the chicken from the pot immediately.
You could also cook shredded chicken in an instant pot using this simple recipe.
Step 2: Prep other ingredients
Then, while the chicken cooks, dice cucumber and pickles, and chop dill. Mix cucumbers, pickles, mayo, pickle juice, dill and crushed red pepper together in a large mixing bowl (Images 2 and 3).
Step 3: Mix it all together, chill and serve
Next, allow chicken breasts to cool slightly and then shred with two forks. Cool shredded chicken completely. This happens pretty quickly.
Finally, mix the shredded chicken with the rest of the wet ingredients in a large bowl (Image 4). Toss to combine completely and place in the fridge to chill. Serve cold
Storage
Prepare this chicken salad with pickles and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Some liquid might accumulate as the leftover chicken salad sits in the fridge so you can give it a stir or drain it off before serving.
Check out these other healthy Chicken Salad Recipes
If you love pickles, try this Fried Pickle Dip next. It is the perfect party appetizer.
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup fresh diced cucumber I like to use seedless english cucumber
- 1 cup diced dill pickles
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise OR use plain Greek yogurt – I use 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a sauce pan and fill with water until the chicken is covered with at least 2 inches of water.
- Heat over high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for 14 minutes and remove the chicken from the pot immediately.
- While the chicken cooks, dice cucumber and pickles, and chop dill. Mix cucumbers, pickles, mayo, pickle juice, dill and crushed red pepper together in a large mixing bowl.
- Allow chicken breasts to cool slightly and then shred with two forks. Cool shredded chicken completely (this happens pretty quickly) and then mix with the wet ingredients.
- Toss to combine completely and place in the fridge to chill. Serve cold.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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