Memorial Day Chicken Salad Recipe Has 3 Surprising Ingredients (10 Minutes, 7 Ingredients) by Donna John

I don't eat lunch every day. There, I said it. But I do find myself getting on kicks for a certain food for lunch and eating it over and over. Egg salad, BLTs, club sandwiches, ham sandwiches, scrambled eggs (yes, for lunch) and chicken salad are the top foods for my cravings list. Right now it's chicken salad, so when I find a new and interesting way to make it, I'm all over it. This creamy Memorial Day chicken salad recipe has a few interesting ingredients I don't often see in chicken salads: cheddar cheese, lemon and carrot. This is one flavorful and tasty chicken salad recipe.

The chicken salad recipe starts with cooked, shredded chicken. (You could dice it if you prefer it that way.) This is a great way to use up leftover chicken. If you don't have leftover chicken, cook one or two chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, cool and shred. Or, use a rotisserie chicken. To the chicken add mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped pecans, a small grated carrot, fresh chives and some celery. (The original recipe did not call for celery, but I had some so threw it in. Check out the health benefits of celery.) Mix it together and season with salt and pepper.

My high-protein chicken breasts were pretty big, so I doubled this recipe. Add as little or much mayonnaise as you like in your chicken salad, and adjust the lemon juice to your tastes. The lemon adds a brightness that is really refreshing! You could use any cheese, but I loved the creaminess the cheddar added. Chopped red onion would be a good addition to this chicken salad, too. Serve this chicken salad over lettuce, in a lettuce wrap or as a sandwich filling.

This is a wonderful spring and summer recipe for lunch or picnics – or for Memorial Day (obviously!), July 4th or Labor Day. What will be my next lunch obsession? Stay tuned...

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes (if you're using leftover chicken)
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (I used chicken breast)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Real Mayonnaise)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or almonds
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or green onion tops)
• 1 rib celery, chopped small (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl. (I used chicken breast, but you could use chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken. You could also use any kind of cheese you like. Next time I'm going to try gruyere or Swiss.)
   
2. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Store the chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge. This recipe can easily be doubled for four servings.
   

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