Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Call all dill pickle lovers! This Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is loaded with crunchy pickles while still keeping the creamy, classic chicken salad flavor everyone loves. And the best part? You just need a handful of simple ingredients to turn typical boring chicken salad into one that your taste buds will wake up to and love! Every bite is pure pickle perfection.
Be sure to try this Dill Pickle Salad Dressing and these Easy Refrigerator Pickles for two of my other top pickle picks!
I really do make this great recipe any time that I can, and for good reason. Not only does this creamy dill pickle chicken salad beat the socks off the flavor of any classic chicken salad recipe, but I just really do love the unexpected taste that the diced dill pickles add.
Serious pickle lovers know that dill pickles instantly make recipes better. It’s great for easy lunches, and also such a simple way to add extra protein to your daily meal plan.
Before You Get Started
- Rotisserie chicken is the fastest option for this recipe and adds a lot of flavor.
- If you love extra pickle flavor, add a splash of pickle juice to the dressing before mixing.
- Letting the chicken salad chill for at least 30 minutes before serving gives the flavors time to blend together.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken – You can use leftover chicken, cooked shredded chicken, or purchase rotisserie chicken breast and dice it up for this easy chicken salad recipe.
- Onion – I like to use red onions when I have them for their mild, sweet flavor.
- Sour cream – Sour cream adds a creamy texture. You can swap in plain Greek yogurt if you want.
- Mayonnaise – Mayo adds richness and creaminess.
- Dill pickles – Choose your favorite brand. Refrigerated pickles tend to be crunchier than shelf-stable pickles.
- Seasonings – I use fresh dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and parsley.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Step One: Add the cooked chicken, chopped dill pickles, and onions to a bowl.
Step Two: Add all the dressing ingredients. Toss to coat. You can tweak the seasoning to your taste buds at this point.
Top Tip💡
If you wanted to save time for meal prep purposes, you could use a dill pickle relish in place of chopping up dill pickles. The texture will be different, but you’ll still get that tangy pickle flavor.
Variations
- Onions – I like using red onions, but diced green onions or fresh chives would be another good choice.
- Dill pickle juice – Adding a bit of dill pickle juice into the creamy dressing mixture is a super simple way to add more delicious dill pickle flavor. Don’t add too much, or the tangy dressing may be watery.
- Extra Vegetables – Feel free to add in some chopped cucumbers, celery, or carrots for a crunch bonus.
- Eggs – You can up the protein even more by adding cut-up hard-boiled eggs.
- Toppings – Okay, hear me out. But crushed up potato chips on top of the healthy dill chicken salad add a perfect crunchy balance. Shredded cheddar and bacon are my kids’ faves.
- Pickles – Using spicy dill pickles or even sweet pickles is an option.
See this Blue Cheese Chicken Salad for another delicious and easy salad recipe.
Equipment
To make this tender chicken salad, all you need is a mixing bowl and a spoon. Also, have an airtight container ready for storage to keep it fresh.
Storage
Once you make this easy dill pickle chicken salad, make sure that you store it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. I actually like to make it a day ahead of when I’m eating it so that the flavor has time to really mesh together.
This healthy dill pickle chicken salad is best made and enjoyed within 1-2 days, so freezing or prolonged storage is not recommended.
Common Questions
This recipe is super simple, but there are still a few things that can be done in advance. You can precook the chicken and dice up the onions so they’re ready to add when you’re ready to make it. I like to cook extra chicken at dinner so I have enough to make this the next day.
There are so many ways to serve and enjoy chicken salad recipes like this. To keep it low carb, serve in lettuce cups or lettuce wraps. You can also serve as a dip of sorts by dipping your favorite crackers into the bowl and eating. Scoop a serving between two pieces of bread or on a croissant for a quick sandwich, or place a helping into a bowl, top with some hot sauce, and enjoy all the flavors of the perfect combination of comfort food. You can’t go wrong!
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Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken
- 2 tbsp onion finely chopped
Dressing
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2 tbsp dill pickles
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put the chicken, chopped pickles, and onions in a medium bowl.
- Add the dressing ingredients.
- Mix well. Season to taste.
Nutrition
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