15-Minute Rotisserie Chicken Salad – Easy Recipe

This rotisserie chicken salad is a blend of crunchy veggies, and tender shredded chicken mixed with a flavorful creamy dressing. It is a great high protein meal prep recipe that can be ready in minutes. Enjoy it served on bread or with fresh veggies or crackers. 

This 15-minute rotisserie chicken salad has become my go-to quick lunch that is packed with protein and is so satisfying. During the holidays I made it more than once for my family that was visiting and everyone loved it! 

You know I love a classic chicken salad or a fun variation since I have shared this cranberry chicken salad and curry chicken salad. But this new rotisserie chicken salad recipe is my latest obsession. It is so delicious and can be ready in minutes! It makes the perfect high protein lunch that is great for meal prep!

This quick and easy chicken salad is the perfect way to repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken. Packed with protein, it can be enjoyed as a hearty sandwich, a satisfying wrap, or served in crisp lettuce cups, and pairs beautifully with fresh vegetables and crackers. Plus chicken + salad is kind of the perfect pairing for a healthy high protein meal.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Salad Recipe

• Protein packed balanced lunch
• You can make it in less than 15 minutes!
• It only requires a few simple ingredients.
• Chicken salad with rotisserie chicken is great for meal prep since it stores so well allowing you to have a premade lunch ready for the week.
• Versatile – Enjoy it as a sandwich, in a wrap, or with crackers.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Chicken Salad Recipe
• Simple Ingredients
• Recommended Kitchen Tools
• How To Make A Rotisserie Chicken Salad
• The Best ways to shred chicken
• Chicken Salad Recipe variations and substitutions
• More Chicken Salad Mix-In’s
• Expert Tips For The Best Results
• Ways To Serve Rotisserie Chicken Salad
• Storage
• FAQs
• More Healthy Salad Recipes
• Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Simple Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this incredible rotisserie chicken salad. Here is what you’ll need:

• Rotisserie chicken – we used shredded chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which is one of the best things about this recipe, taking help from the store. Use both the dark and light meat for a good mix of flavors. You’ll want to remove the skin and bones before shredding the chicken. You could also use any cooked shredded chicken or turkey in this recipe. 
• Veggies – fresh-cut celery and red onion for some good crunch and color. 
• Relish – adds a nice zippy flavor. You could also use chopped pickles. 
• Pickle juice – that secret ingredient that in our family is necessary for a good chicken salad. I always save the leftover pickle juice in the jar for recipes like this one. 
• Greek yogurt – plain Greek yogurt adds some extra protein and creaminess to this chicken salad. If your Greek yogurt looks watery then drain it before adding it to the chicken salad. This will ensure your salad does not become watery. For creamier chicken salad use full fat Greek yogurt and for a lighter chicken salad use low fat or nonfat Greek yogurt.
• Avocado mayo – adds to the creamy dressing that ties this whole chicken salad together. You can of course use any type of mayo you like. Light mayo is another great option if you need to keep the calories lower.
• Dijon mustard – for that tangy flavor we all love in a good salad. 
• Salt and pepper – add a nice layer of seasoning and enhances the other flavors nicely.

Recommended Kitchen Tools

• Cutting board + knife
• Food processor
• Mixing bowls
• Spoon for mixing

How To Make A Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Here is a summary with step-by-step photos of how to make this amazing rotisserie chicken salad. Get the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions, and nutrition in the recipe card you can find at the bottom of this post.

The Best ways to shred chicken

My favorite way to shred chicken is using a food processor since it is quick and very easy to do. You could also just use two forks to shred the chicken, which takes a bit longer but yields a similar result. There are also tools like this chicken shredder that I heard work pretty well, although I haven’t tried it. For this recipe I used a food processor to easily shred the rotisserie chicken into smaller pieces to resemble that deli chicken salad taste and texture.

Chicken Salad Recipe variations and substitutions

• Spicy chicken salad – add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce or chopped jalapenos for a spicier version.
• Chicken – we love rotisserie chicken in this recipe for convenience but if you do not have rotisserie chicken you could use cooked chicken breast, chicken thighs, instant pot shredded chicken, or even shredded turkey breast. 
• Greek yogurt – if you don’t have Greek yogurt then you can substitute more mayo or sour cream. You could also use dairy-free plain Greek yogurt if you need to keep this recipe dairy-free. 
• Mayo – I used avocado mayo but any mayo will work great!
• Dijon mustard – any mustard will work like stone ground, yellow mustard, or even honey mustard but Dijon mustard works the best. 
• Veggies – Other veggies that would work: are bell peppers, scallions, or carrots. 

More Chicken Salad Mix-In’s

• Grapes
• Nuts – walnuts, pecans or almonds
• Dill or chives
• Sunflower seeds
• Raisins
• Dried cranberries
• Chopped apples

Expert Tips For The Best Results

• Shred the chicken using a food processor. Not only is this very easy to do in seconds but it gives you perfectly shredded rotisserie chicken that makes this chicken salad taste like it came from your favorite deli. 
• Chop the veggies into small pieces. This makes it easier to mix and eat the chicken salad. 
• Don’t overmix. You want to mix everything together nicely but overmixing it makes the chicken salad mushier and not as appetizing. You are looking for nice big chunks of creamy, flavorful chicken salad. 
• Use a combo of mayo and Greek yogurt in the dressing. This made all the difference and added a wonderful layer of flavor and creaminess to this salad.
• Don’t skip the pickle juice. This is the secret ingredient in this recipe that takes it to a whole new level! 
• Chill before serving – chicken salad is best if eaten chilled since it adds to the flavors and creamy texture of the chicken salad.

Ways To Serve Rotisserie Chicken Salad

We love this simple chicken salad as is but here are some other yummy ways to serve it.

• Over greens – we love chicken salad over some fresh green like mixed greens or arugula for a low-carb, lean, and green meal that is so satisfying and filling.
• In lettuce cups – we love using bibb lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves as a vessel for this chicken salad. Plus, it is a fancier way to serve it.
• On bread or in a wrap – serve it on your favorite bread or croissant or inside a delicious wrap for a heartier meal.
• With fresh veggies – enjoy it with your favorite cut veggies like cucumber, min bell peppers, or carrots.
• Stuffed in a tomato or avocado – this is great for enjoying this chicken salad as a high protein snack!
• With some crackers – serve with pita chips or crackers like wheat thins for some good crunch!

Storage

Leftover rotisserie chicken salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will keep for 3-4 days. Once you are ready to enjoy it, give it a good stir to wake up all of the amazing flavors. I do not recommend freezing this chicken salad since it ruins the texture and causes the mayo based dressing to separate when thawed.

FAQs

More Healthy Salad Recipes

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Did you try this easy rotisserie chicken salad? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!

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