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Home / Blog / Recipes

Southern Style Chicken Salad

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By:

Madeline

Published:

January 3, 2021

Updated:

September 10, 2024

This site may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Use this Southern Style Chicken Salad recipe to make a healthy chicken salad with hard boiled eggs, pickles, onions and celery!

Bowl of southern style chicken salad with slices of bread on a cutting board

  • What is southern chicken salad?
  • Do you put eggs in chicken salad?
  • What kitchen tools will I need to make this southern chicken salad recipe?
  • What ingredients will I need to make this chicken salad recipe with eggs?
  • Can you substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise?
  • How do you make Southern Style Chicken Salad?
  • How should I store this southern chicken salad?
  • Check out these other healthy chicken salad recipes!
  • Recipe

What is southern chicken salad?

Southern style chicken salad is usually made with eggs, relish, red onion, celery, mustard, mayo and spices. Different people use slightly different ingredient in their southern chicken salad.

I wanted to make a keto chicken salad so I opted to use chopped dill pickles instead of sweet relish and yellow mustard instead of honey mustard. Using these ingredients the carb count in this chicken salad is relatively low.

Do you put eggs in chicken salad?

If you’re making a Waldorf chicken salad or some other classic chicken salad, you may not want to put eggs in it. For this homestyle southern chicken salad, chopped hard boiled eggs are an essential ingredient.

The creamy yolks add extra creamy texture to this keto chicken salad. If you are curious about how long to boil your eggs, check out this post on how to make boiled eggs.

A spoon scooping a heaping scoop of southern chicken salad onto a piece of bread

What kitchen tools will I need to make this southern chicken salad recipe?

  • Sauce pan for poaching the chicken breasts and hard boiling eggs
  • Sharp knife and cutting board for chopping ingredients
  • Mixing bowl and spatula for mixing ingredients
ingredients for southern style chicken salad

What ingredients will I need to make this chicken salad recipe with eggs?

  • Boneless skinless chicken breast
  • Eggs for hard boiled eggs
  • Mayonnaise
  • Yellow mustard
  • Red onion
  • Celery
  • Dill pickles
  • Black pepper and garlic powder

Can you substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise?

Yes! If you don’t like mayo in your chicken salad you can use Greek yogurt in this southern style chicken salad. Just sub in the exact same amount of Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise and follow the recipe as listed!

assembly steps for southern chicken salad

How do you make Southern Style Chicken Salad?

Step 1: Poach chicken breast and hard boil eggs

To begin, add chicken breasts to a sauce pan with cold water. Place the pan on the stove and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and reduce to a simmer.

Then, simmer for 14 minutes and then remove the chicken from water. Hard boil the eggs by adding cold water to a sauce pan and bringing the water to a boil.

Next, addd the eggs to the pan with the boiling water and boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot after 10 minutes and immediately transfer to an ice bath.

Step 2: Prep other chicken salad ingredients

Then, dice the red onion and celery and chop dill pickles into a fine dice. Mix together the mayo, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder.

Step 3: Mix it all together

Next, chop the hard boiled eggs and cube the chicken breast. Add the chicken and eggs to a large mixing bowl with the red onion, celery, dill pickles, and mayo mixture.

Finally, mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined. Serve chilled on lettuce or bread.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Bowl of southern chicken salad with slices of bread next to it

How should I store this southern chicken salad?

Once prepared, store this southern style chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Check out these other healthy chicken salad recipes!

  • Bacon Broccoli and Ranch Chicken Salad – Mayo free
  • BLT Chicken Salad Whole30
  • Curry Chicken Salad
  • Poppy Seed Chicken Salad – Mayo Free
  • Whole30 Waldorf Chicken Salad

If you liked this chicken salad, make this southwest chicken salad next!

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!

pinterest image for southern style chicken salad

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!

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Recipe

Southern Style Chicken Salad

5 from 8 votes
Southern chicken salad made with hard boiled eggs, dill pickles, red onion and celery.
Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Print Review Pin It SaveSaved!
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 2 tbsp diced dill pickles
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
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Instructions

  • Add chicken breasts to a sauce pan with cold water. Place pan on the stove and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 14 minutes and then remove the chicken from water.
  • Hard boil the eggs by adding cold water to a sauce pan and bringing the water to a boil. Add the eggs to the pan with the boiling water and boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot after 10 minutes and immediately transfer to an ice bath.
  • Dice the red onion and celery and chop dill pickles into a fine dice. Mix together the mayo, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • Chop the hard boiled eggs and cube the chicken breast. Add the chicken and eggs to a large mixing bowl with the red onion, celery, dill pickles, and mayo mixture.
  • Mix all of the ingredients together until fully combined. Serve chilled on lettuce or bread.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 4g, Calories: 489kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 2g (1%), Protein: 40g (80%), Fat: 35g (54%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 206mg (69%), Sodium: 564mg (25%), Potassium: 733mg (21%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 267IU (5%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 38mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

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.

Did you make my Southern Style Chicken Salad?

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Madeline

Hi, I’m Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let’s get cooking!
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Recipe Rating




24 responses

  1. Amy
    January 3, 2021

    5 stars
    So delicious !! Loved this for my lunch the other day!!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      January 4, 2021

      So good!! Thank you!!

      Reply
    2. Wesley
      November 2, 2022

      Can I add boiled potatoes to this recipe

      Reply
      1. Madeline
        November 3, 2022

        sure! You may want to add more mayo and mustard to it though

        Reply
  2. KK
    January 10, 2021

    5 stars
    I’m not always a huge chicken salad fan but this recipe is so good, especially over greens! Now I need to try more of your other chicken salad recipes!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      January 11, 2021

      wonderful!! thank you!!

      Reply
  3. Patricia Maclean
    February 1, 2021

    I have never eaten or even heard of Southern Chicken Salad with hard-boiled eggs, onions, DILL pickles and garlic powder. Possibly tuna fish salad but never chicken! And I am about a 10th generation Southerner. I can even quibble with your method of boiling eggs! Classic chicken salad contains chicken (white and dark), celery, sweet pickles, RED grapes and toasted pecans. Endless hours of debate whether home made mayo or Duke’s mayo and some mavericks even use miracle whip! Greek yogurt?? Heresy.

    Reply
  4. Nancy Hodgkinson
    August 24, 2021

    5 stars
    This is a perfect Southern Chicken Salad. I add a drop of honey, but that is a personal preference. No nuts, grapes, or pineapple added – It’s not a fruit salad! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      September 8, 2021

      YAY!

      Reply
  5. Jetta
    October 14, 2021

    5 stars
    I made mine a wee bit different, but omg is amazing. Ty for the recipe!!!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      October 20, 2021

      Thanks Jetta!

      Reply
      1. Demetrice A Baggett
        September 20, 2023

        I only have onions, eggs, mayo and chicken can I make it with that

        Reply
        1. Madeline
          September 20, 2023

          Hi there, you could but without the mustard, celery, dill pickles, and other seasoning, it won’t taste the same as this recipe. You can certainly customize it to what you have on hand though.

          Reply
  6. Angie Beers
    November 15, 2022

    5 stars
    Just right

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      November 15, 2022

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  7. Liza
    February 24, 2023

    Used sweet pickle relish In place of chopped dill pickles. Flavor is good.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      February 25, 2023

      Thanks, Liza!

      Reply
    2. Terri Thomas
      October 25, 2023

      I did the sweet pickle relish as well and love it

      Reply
  8. LaTanya
    June 6, 2023

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Had to omit the onions because my tummy would protest lol. I also added sweet relish instead of dill. Gives it a nice sweetness to it. I was wondering how to store this in the fridge? And how long it will last?

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      June 6, 2023

      Love the idea of adding relish! Hope you enjoy. You can store this chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

      Reply
  9. Steph
    January 10, 2024

    5 stars
    Made it several times. Always a crowd pleaser!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      January 11, 2024

      wonderful! Thank you!!

      Reply
  10. Julie Doyle
    October 8, 2024

    5 stars
    This is a keeper!!!! Only swap was using sweet and sour gherkins. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      October 8, 2024

      Fantastic! Thanks!

      Reply

Welcome

Hi, I’m Madeline – food blogger and recipe developer based just outside Philadelphia. Join me for simple, comforting recipes designed for the whole family. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast, and let’s get to cooking!

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