Pecan Chicken Salad

So last Tuesday I made this pecan chicken salad after getting home around 6:30 and honestly it’s one of those things that sounds fancier than it is. The pecans give it texture but you’re really just mixing stuff in a bowl and letting the fridge do half the work.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You probably have most of this in your kitchen already
• The pecans don’t stay super crunchy after an hour in the fridge and that’s actually better than you’d think
• Takes 20 minutes if you’re using rotisserie chicken, which I did
• It doesn’t get watery sitting in the fridge like other chicken salad recipes I’ve tried
• The mustard cuts through the mayo enough that it doesn’t feel heavy
• You can eat it three days later and it still tastes right

The Story Behind This Recipe

I needed something to use up a rotisserie chicken and four hard-boiled eggs that were about to hit their limit. My mom used to make a version of this but hers had grapes in it which I never loved.

I wanted the crunch without the sweet fruit situation. Pecans were in the pantry from some baking thing I never finished and they worked better than I expected. Now I make this every couple weeks when I don’t feel like cooking anything that requires the stove.

What You Need

You’re starting with 2 cups of cooked chicken and I’m not going to tell you to poach it yourself because rotisserie is sitting right there at the grocery store. Shred it or dice it, doesn’t matter much, just keep the pieces small enough that they mix in without turning every bite into a chicken chunk situation.

Then 4 hard-boiled eggs that you’ll chop up. I boil mine for 10 minutes then shock them in cold water but honestly however you normally do eggs is fine here.

1 cup of celery gets chopped and this is where the texture really comes from once the pecans soften up in the fridge. Don’t skip it or you’ll end up with something that feels like you’re eating dip with a spoon. The onions are 1/4 cup and you want them finely chopped because big pieces of raw onion in cold salad are aggressive and nobody needs that. I use yellow onions because that’s what I have.

The pecans are 1/3 cup and they need to be chopped into smaller bits, not halves. For the dressing you need 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish, 1 tablespoon of mustard (I use yellow but Dijon would probably work), and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Then salt and pepper but you’re adding those at the end once you taste it.

How to Make Pecan Chicken Salad

Start with the dressing because it’s easier to mix when the bowl’s empty. Whisk together the 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish, 1 tablespoon of mustard and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise in a medium bowl until it looks smooth and the mustard isn’t streaking through anymore. It’ll smell tangy and a little sweet from the relish.

Grab a large bowl and toss in your 2 cups of cooked chicken, the 4 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of chopped celery, 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions and the 1/3 cup of chopped pecans. Just dump it all in there.

Pour the dressing over everything and use a big spoon or spatula to gently toss it around until every piece is coated. The mayo’s thick enough that it’ll stick to the chicken and eggs pretty well but you have to actually get in there and move things around. I usually spend about a minute on this part making sure nothing’s sitting dry at the bottom.

Now taste it and add your salt and pepper. I probably used half a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper but it depends on how salty your chicken was to start with.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. This isn’t optional even though it feels like it should be. The pecans need time to soften just a little and the onions mellow out and everything kind of becomes one thing instead of separate ingredients sitting next to each other. I left mine in there for about 3 hours before I ate any and it was noticeably better than when I tasted it right after mixing.

When you’re ready to eat, you can serve this however. I put it on crackers the first night, made sandwiches with it the next day, and ate it straight from the bowl with a fork on day three standing at the counter.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I didn’t chop the pecans small enough and they were these big half-pieces that would fall off my cracker or slide out of my sandwich. Annoying to eat. The second time I made this easy salad recipe I actually took the extra 30 seconds to chop them down properly and it made the whole thing easier to scoop and the texture was way more even in every bite instead of getting a huge nut chunk and then three bites of nothing.

Pecan Chicken Salad

By Emma

Prep:

20 min

Cook:

0 min

Total:

20 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. 1 Whisk together the sweet pickle relish, mustard, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl until fully blended and creamy.
2. 2 In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery, onions, and chopped pecans; the mixture should have a crunchy yet tender texture.
3. 3 Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture, then gently toss to coat every piece thoroughly, letting the sticky mayonnaise cling to each component.
4. 4 Season with salt and pepper according to your preference, tasting to adjust the balance between tang and richness.
5. 5 Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the ingredients to intermingle, the pecans soften slightly, and the flavors deepen.
6. 6 Serve chilled on crackers, pile it on sandwiches, or alongside crisp greens for a midday meal.

Nutritional information

Calories

382

Protein

25g

Carbs

6g

Fat

29g

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Tips for the Best Pecan Chicken Salad

Don’t mix the dressing straight into the chicken without whisking it first separately because the mustard will streak through and you’ll get bites that taste like straight mayo and then bites that taste like only mustard. Spending 30 seconds whisking it smooth makes the whole thing taste consistent.

The celery needs to be chopped into pieces about the same size as your chicken chunks or it doesn’t distribute right. I had one batch where I left the celery in these long strips and every scoop was either all celery or no celery.

Room temperature chicken mixes better than cold chicken straight from the fridge. If you’re using rotisserie chicken that’s been sitting in your fridge, let it sit out for 10 minutes before you start or the mayo won’t coat it as well and it clumps up weird.

When you’re checking the seasoning before it goes in the fridge, add a little less salt than you think you need because it’ll taste saltier after it sits. The flavors concentrate as everything sits together and I’ve oversalted this more than once by tasting it right after mixing.

The salad actually tastes better on day two than day one which almost never happens with mayo-based stuff. Something about the onions and relish mellowing out overnight makes it less sharp.

Serving Ideas

I put this on toasted sourdough with a piece of lettuce underneath so the bread doesn’t get soggy and it holds up for about 20 minutes before you need to eat it. Stuffed into a hollowed out tomato works if you’re trying to make it feel like more of a meal and less like sandwich filling.

Crackers are fine but the thick buttery kind like Ritz hold up better than thin ones that snap in half when you scoop. I’ve also spread it on those small cucumber rounds when I had people over and didn’t want to deal with bread or it was too hot outside for anything heavy.

Variations

You can swap the pecans for walnuts but they don’t soften the same way in the fridge and stay kind of bitter even after sitting overnight. Almonds are too hard and never really blend into the texture no matter how small you chop them.

Adding a tablespoon of fresh dill makes it taste lighter and less like something from a deli counter. I did this once when I had extra dill from another recipe and it worked but my husband said it tasted too fancy which I guess makes sense.

If you want it sweeter you can use honey mustard instead of regular mustard and skip half the relish. It changes the whole thing into something that feels more like a lunch your mom packed than something you’d make yourself but some people are into that.

Dried cranberries instead of relish turns this into one of those chicken salads you’d get at a cafe that costs $14 and I actually liked it but then it’s not really the same recipe anymore.

FAQ

Can I use canned chicken for this pecan chicken salad?

Yeah but drain it really well and press it between paper towels because canned chicken holds more liquid than rotisserie and it’ll water down your dressing. The texture’s a little mushier but it works when you don’t have anything else.

How long does this chicken salad last in the fridge?

3 days is the most I’d push it and that’s if you keep it covered tight. By day 4 the celery starts getting limp and the eggs smell a little off even if it’s technically still safe.

Can I make this without eggs?

Sure but you’ll need to add more chicken or the ratio feels wrong and it’s too much dressing for not enough stuff. Maybe go up to 3 cups of chicken if you’re skipping the 4 eggs.

What if I don’t have sweet pickle relish?

Dill relish works but it makes the whole thing more savory and less balanced with the mayo. You could chop up a sweet pickle really fine but measure it the same as relish or it’s too chunky.

Do the pecans need to be toasted?

No and actually toasted pecans stay too crunchy even after sitting in the fridge for an hour. Raw pecans soften up just right and don’t compete with the celery for the crunch factor.

Can I freeze chicken salad?

I wouldn’t because mayo separates when it freezes and thaws and you end up with this watery mess that doesn’t come back together no matter how much you stir it. Just make smaller batches.

What kind of mustard works best?

Yellow mustard is what I use but Dijon works if you want it a little sharper. Spicy brown mustard is too aggressive and takes over the whole flavor so I’d skip that.

How finely should I chop the onions?

Small enough that you can’t see individual onion pieces when you take a bite. If they’re bigger than a pea they’re too big and you’ll get that raw onion punch that doesn’t fit with everything else.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise?

You can use half Greek yogurt and half mayo but all Greek yogurt makes it too tangy and thin. The mayo’s thick enough to hold everything together and Greek yogurt doesn’t have that same weight to it.

Why does my chicken salad get watery after sitting?

Probably your celery or chicken wasn’t dry enough when you mixed it in. Pat everything down with paper towels before you add it to the bowl or the water leeches out and pools at the bottom.

Do I have to refrigerate this for an hour or can I eat it right away?

You can eat it right away but the onions are too sharp and the pecans are too crunchy and nothing really tastes like it goes together yet. An hour minimum lets everything settle into itself.

What if I don’t have a rotisserie chicken?

Leftover baked or grilled chicken works or you can poach chicken breasts in simmering water for about 15 minutes until they hit 165°F inside. Just let it cool before you shred it or the heat will melt the mayo when you mix.

Can I add grapes or apples?

You can but they make it sweet and watery and that’s not what this easy salad recipe is going for. If you want fruit in your chicken salad that’s a different thing entirely.

How do I keep the pecans from getting soggy?

You don’t really because that’s part of how this works. They soften up but they don’t turn into mush, they just stop being crunchy enough to hurt the roof of your mouth.

What’s the best way to chop hard-boiled eggs for this?

I use one of those egg slicers and then turn the egg and slice it again so you get small cubes. Chopping with a knife works but it’s messier and the yolks crumble everywhere.

Can I make this the night before?

Yeah and it’s actually better that way. Just don’t add the pecans until a few hours before you want to eat it if you want them to stay a little crunchier.

How much chicken salad fits in a sandwich?

About half a cup per sandwich if you’re using regular bread. More than that and it squishes out the sides when you bite down.