Southern Style Chicken Salad

The best southern style chicken salad. Straight from Gramma’s house, this recipe has hints of olives, Dijon mustard and crunchy celery.

Every year my family gets together at my Gramma’s house for Easter and Christmas. Now, when most families get together it usually consists of sitting or standing around, maybe sipping some wine and chatting while the kids run around. Not so much at Gramma’s house.

My grandfather grew up during the Great Depression, and as such never got a childhood. So Gramma would make every occasion as fun as possible. Between camel rides, elephants, Elvis impersonators, caricature artists and mariachi bands, there was always a good time to be had at Gramma’s.

Which brings us to the best part of these get togethers: THE FOOD! This recipe comes straight from Gramma’s house, with a few tweaks from me. It’s the perfect southern style chicken salad and the best I’ve ever had! The kind with nuts and grapes hold a close place to my heart, sure, but this is less sweet and more savory and my absolute favorite!

Gramma’s recipe has chicken (of course), hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise and chopped black olives. It is great, and something I’ve been looking forward to every year, but I always felt like it was missing something.

I added some chopped celery and Dijon mustard which took it to the next level. Kevin and I don’t like our chicken salad wet (ew) and loaded with mayonnaise, so I gave a range of 3/4 – 1 c. of it that you can adjust to your preference. I add mine until it is just about combined and shred my chicken.

I’m also a new proud owner of the Instant Pot which made boiling the chicken and the eggs a breeze. Seriously, I’ve had the thing for like 2 weeks and I’ve used it more than any other appliance in my kitchen. I don’t do pressure cooker recipes here, but feel free to drop me a line either through a comment or on my contact page if you have a pressure cooker (or Instant Pot) and I’ll happily point you in the right direction.

Until next time. X

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Southern Style Chicken Salad

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Print Recipe

• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x

Ingredients

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• 3–4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
• 6 hard boiled eggs, grated
• 2 Tbsp chopped black olives
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 – 1 cup mayonnaise

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, eggs, olives, celery, and mustard. Add mayonnaise to your preference, then season with salt and pepper to your taste.
2. Serve on a toasted croissant with baby spinach (pictured), on crackers or with celery.
3. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Notes

I use an Instant Pot pressure cooker to boil my chicken and eggs, which makes it a breeze. You can also use a rotisserie chicken.

For an easier time, use a hand mixer to shred your chicken.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Brunch
• Method: No Cook
• Cuisine: Southern

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