Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
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Looking for a deliciously different way to jazz up your chicken salad game? Stop looking and try this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad! This recipe puts a twist on the classic chicken salad by adding lots of brine-y dill pickles, creating a flavorful and refreshing dish that’s perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad Details
This Dill Pickle Chicken Salad is a great way to switch up your lunch, dinner, or meal prep game. It has become the star of the show in many of my fave “adult lunchables” as well. The combination of tangy dill pickles, shredded chicken, and spices creates a dish that’s packed with flavor and is a total pickle lovin’ crowd pleaser.
I low key consider myself a connoisseur of chicken salad. With super popular recipes like my classic Healthy Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad with Grapes, and Southwest Chicken Salad I figured it was definitely time to add another new (and totally delish) chicken salad recipe to the mix.
This is for my fellow pickle lovers out there, you know who you are. Who else drinks the pickle juice? Ugh. It’s so good. Ha! Also, this is a great recipe to use up your pickles faster so you can make Skillet Pickle Chicken sooner. I have always been a big pickle lover, as well as olives. My sister and I would actually get in trouble for drinking all the juices of both when we were younger.
Dill pickle chicken salad is total pickle perfection and I hope you enjoy it! I enjoy it most on ritz crackers, in lettuce wraps, and I’ll even sneak a pile onto a delicious croissant from time to time. Chicken Salad is the ideal warmer weather meal because it’s super quick and easy to prepare and you eat it cold! As I’ve said before there’s almost always a batch in the fridge during the summer so it’s necessary to have all different variations.
What you need to make Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- Shredded chicken breast- my favorite short cut is grabbing a fresh rotisserie chicken for chicken salad recipes, but I also love to use my instant pot shredded chicken breast and slow cooker shredded chicken recipes
- light Mayonnaise- this adds a richer creaminess to the chicken salad
- Non Fat Greek Yogurt- this adds some tang, creaminess, and extra protein without extra calories and fat
- Dill Pickle juice- get this from the pickle jar, adds more pickle flavor!
- Dill pickles- lots of’m, it wouldn’t be a dill pickle chicken salad without dill pickles!
- Celery- adds a fresh crunch!
- Yellow mustard- another layer of flavor
- Honey- adds just enough sweetness, you can also use sugar or stevia
- Dried Minced Onion- I like to use dried minced onion because it gives you an onion flavor without over powering and its an easy ingredient! My mom always makes her chicken salad using this so its really just imprinted into my DNA to use this ingredient. It’s in the spice aisle, easy to find. You could also use maybe 1/4 cup of fresh diced onion, but the onion taste will be stronger.
- Celery salt- another ingredient that is in every single chicken salad I make- it’s not chicken salad without it!
- Smoked Paprkia- I really liked the tiniest bit of smokey flavor it added, its definitely optional though
How to make Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together greek yogurt, mayo, yellow mustard, pickle juice, minced onion, dill weed, smoked paprika, and celery salt. Salt and Pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, celery, and pickles.
- Pour the dressing all over the chicken mixture and combine super well.
- Refrigerate for at least a half hour before serving, but 1-2 hours is best. Salt and Pepper to taste after you let the flavors meld.
Ways to serve Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Dill pickle chicken salad is a versatile dish that can be served in a variety of ways. Here are some ideas for serving your dill pickle chicken salad:
- Sandwiches!: Spread some of the dill pickle chicken salad onto your favorite bread or a croissant for a delicious sandwich. You can also add lettuce, tomato, fresh red onion and/or extra pickles!
- On crackers: Spoon some of the chicken salad onto crackers for a tasty snack or appetizer. I love using good ol’ ritz!
- Salad on Salad: Serve the dill pickle chicken salad on top of a bed of mixed greens and crunchy romaine with extra veggies for a refreshing and light meal.
- Wrap it up: Wrap the dill pickle chicken salad in a tortilla or lettuce leaves for a low carb and easy-to-eat meal. I love to use large romaine leaves or iceberg leaves for lettuce wraps!
- Chips n’ Chicken Salad “Dip”: Serve with your favorite chips for a tasty and satisfying snack.
- Stuffed: Scoop out the inside of a tomato, cucumber, or a large dill pickle and fill it with the dill pickle chicken salad for a unique way to eat!
- Chicken Salad Melts!: Spread chicken salad on a English muffin or slice of bread. Add a slice of cooked bacon and then some shredded cheddar. Place in 400 degree oven til the cheese is melted. So good!
How to store chicken salad
- Transfer the chicken salad into an airtight container.
- I find it smart to label the container so I can remember how long it’s been in there.
- Store the chicken salad in the refrigerator. It should be kept at a temperature of 40°F or below.
- The chicken salad will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator for optimal freshness, flavor, and texture.
- When you are ready to serve the chicken salad, give it a good stir to redistribute any dressing that may have settled. You can even bright it up with a few turns of fresh pepper and a sprinkle of salt.
- I always bring it for snacks on road trips! If you want to do this too be sure to pack with ice and keep it COLD.
Extra tips
Here’s a few tips to ensure it’s the best!
- Use a fresh chicken that’s just been made whether its a rotisserie chicken from the store or you’re making chicken breast for the recipe. Using freshly made chicken will taste the best.
- Using a high quality brand of pickles like Claussen, Boars Head, Dietz and Watson that are in the refrigerated section are so much better than the shelf stable ones.
- Shred the chicken REALLY well. This allows the dressing to incorporate well.
- Make sure to balance the tanginess of the dill pickles with the creaminess of the dressing. You can adjust the amount of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt to achieve the desired consistency and flavor.
- Chill before serving: Letting your salad chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving will help the flavors to meld together for best taste. Also if you’re using the dried minced onion this is absolutely necessary so that that onion can soften.
- Customize to your preferences: Don’t be afraid to customize your dill pickle chicken salad to your own taste buds. If you’re not a fan of celery or onion, leave it out. If you wanna add fresh dill or green onions because that’s your favorite- add it in! Use dijon mustard in place of yellow mustard for more complex flavor.
I hope you enjoy this yummy twist on classic chicken salad. Be sure to let me know how it goes in the comments below and I’d love to see a photo of it too! Tag @theskinnyishdish so I can see!
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Materials
- 3 cups freshly shredded chicken breast I love to use rotisserie chicken but other methods in blog post
- 1 cup diced pickles I love to use Claussen in the refrigerated section the most
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup light mayo
- 1/4 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp pickle juice from the jar
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard (or dijon mustard)
- 2 tsp honey (sugar or your favorite sweetener works- if using stevia add to taste before adding two full teaspoons)
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional, but does add a subtle smokey flavor that I love)
- 1/2 tsp celery salt (celery salt is something I always have but I know its not a normal spice everyone has- you can use plain salt to taste in its place)
- 1 tbsp dried minced onion
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, pickle juice, minced onion, dill weed, smoked paprika, and celery salt. Salt and Pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, toss together the shredded chicken, celery, and pickles. Pour the dressing all over the chicken mixture and combine super well.
- Refrigerate for at least a half hour before serving, but 1-2 hours is best. Salt and Pepper to taste after you let the flavors meld.
Love it! This is the second time I’ve made this recipe. So darn delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Chrissy!
So good
Shredded a smoked whole chicken from the local butcher shop to use in this recipe. The smoky chicken paired so well with the pickles!
That sounds like heaven!!!
Just made this for my lunches for the week and I’m trying to keep myself from eating the whole bowl right now. So good!!!
I made this last week after finding it on Instagram….. can I just say…. OMG ❤️ I am actually getting ready to make it again for this week! Star, you knocked this one outta the park!! Thank you!!
Yesss!! Thank you so much, Ana! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dill pickle chicken salad!! And thank you for stopping back to rate it too. =)
Just popped this in the fridge to have for dinner. I didn’t see in the ingredient list the amount of minced onion. I used some granulated onion powder since I didn’t have minced dried onion but for when I make this again how much minced dried onion?
Perfect for quick and easy lunches throughout the week. Big fan!
How much dried minced onion? It’s not listed in the recipe.
1 tbsp
LOVE this recipe! I used Wickles brand pickles in place of regular dill. Incredible!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Bonnie! Thanks so much!!!
Loved this! I am a fan of dill pickle anything.