Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
This chicken salad is ultra creamy, and the sauce has real pickle juice stirred right on in. Chunks of rotisserie chicken, diced crisp dill pickle pieces, and a mild garlicky tang from freshly sliced green onions, this is Dill Pickle Chicken Salad makes the definition of a hearty Summer sandwich supper.
Sandwiches seem to reign supreme in the warm weather months. Not that I’m complaining. I totally get it too.
They’re light enough that they don’t/won’t weigh you down, but still filling. There’s also 1,000,000 + different possible flavor combinations. The sky’s the limit. Or should that be the refrigerator? Hmmm…
Either way, it’s a win-win.
They’re yummy, they’re easy, they’re legit finger food, they make hardly any mess, and require even less work.
Sandwiches for lunch, sandwiches for dinner y’all. It happens around here guys, and not one bit of me is ashamed to admit it.
I mean as long as I don’t slap a PB & J or a grilled cheese with only a single slice in the middle on a plate and call it dinner, my guys are happy to have a sandwich as the main part of their evening meal.
They’re my kinda people for a reason!
I’m not one to keep things boring though, or even to make anything I consider ‘boring’. A fact my guys know all to well, which is probably where a lot of their sandwich-for-supper faith comes in if I actually think about it.
Take for example our Chicken Caesar Club Style Sub Sandwich, Chicken Bacon Ranch Subs, Bacon Alfredo Spinach Beer Battered Fish Filet Sandwiches, or even this Ham & Pimento Cheese Bundt Pan Sub Sandwich.
My all-time favorite meal-ish sandwich to make though is always some variation on chicken salad. It’s hearty, it’s usually creamy, and it’s always delicious.
Over the years we’ve tried all kinds of different variations with a multitude of mix-ins. We’ve done cranberry walnut, pesto & sun dried tomato, curry with grapes & pecans, even a Tex Mex version. All of which are searchable here on the site.
Each one has been good enough to earn itself a card in the family recipe box.
Yet, I honestly think I’ve found one that cannot, will not (possibly ever) be topped. Dill Pickle Chicken Salad.
Let’s let that sink in for a minute or two. I mean, me personally, I suggest dedicating a moment of silence to this amazing chicken salad.
Just about anything with pickle in the name is almost guaranteed to be a hit in my book, but this is still an epic home run.
I’m gonna stop right here though, and address the elephant in the room- or what will certainly be brought up later.
Pickles are 100 % one of the most controversial ingredients I’ve ever encountered. Ya either love ’em, or ya hate ’em. Literally, there is no in between.
So let this be your warning, if you do not like pickles- just skip on over to a different recipe, keep scrolling, something- because this recipe wasn’t meant for you. It isn’t for you.
That being said, with this we’re totally callin’ all you pickle-lovers because for you this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad was made.
TIPS & TRICKS for making the best version of Dill Pickle Chicken Salad:
Now before you get started, here’s a couple things to keep in mind before we actually get into the recipe details!
This chicken salad is creamy. Not just your typical loaded up with mayonnaise creamy either. It’s actually all of the ingredients tossed in a creamy sauce made of a blend of mayo, cream cheese, pickle juice (of course there’s pickle juice in the dressing!), and seasonings.
I’m just giving you a heads up so you don’t look at it when you whip it up and wonder if you’ve made a mistake somewhere along the line. Creamy is good!
Also, the type of pickles you prefer can make of break this chicken salad. Don’t use dill pickle relish- A. it has too much liquid, and B. you want chunks of pickles for texture and crunch.
I heart a good crunch from my pickles, so I tend to only buy Claussen brand as I find them the crunchiest of the bunch. Non-refrigerated ones will work too, it’s just about personal preference at this point.
If you’re a Greek yogurt fan and looking to make this recipe a tad bit healthier, you can totally sub it for some of the mayo or even all of it.
What you shouldn’t ever do, under any circumstances, is swap the mayo in this recipe for Miracle Whip.
My friend Jessica from Together As Family told me not to, and for curiosities sake (and at the insistence of the Hubs) I tried it- totally ruined that whole batch. And he likes the stuff! Use the mayo, and use a quality brand.
This chicken salad is ultra creamy, and the sauce has real pickle juice stirred right on in.
Chunks of rotisserie chicken, diced crisp dill pickle pieces, and a mild garlicky tang from freshly sliced green onions, this is Dill Pickle Chicken Salad makes the definition of a hearty Summer sandwich supper.
Other Dill Pickle Recipes You Might Also Enjoy: Dill Pickle Potato Salad, Dill Pickle Chips, & Fast & Easy Refrigerator Pickles.
If you’ve tried this DILL PICKLE CHICKEN SALAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For The Chicken Salad
- 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken meat
- 1- 1 1/2 cups chopped crisp dill pickles
- 1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
For The Creamy Dressing
- 6-8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 3/4 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
To Make The Chicken Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, pickles, and onions. Lightly toss to evenly combine.
To Make The Creamy Dressing
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend them all together until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken salad, tossing to evenly coat. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the chicken salad's nice and cold, about 4 hours.
- Spoon the mixture onto buns of your choice and serve as sandwiches, or serve in a bowl with crisp crackers for dipping. Trying to avoid carbs? It also tastes delicious wrapped in a lettuce leaf.
Notes
Nutrition
Oh my goodness this sounds delicious!I have never thought of using cream cheese in a dressing but it sounds genius!Absolutely love the sound of it.My favourite sandwich fillings are always chicken something or other too.Pinned. Thankyou for sharing with #FridayFrolics
How many servings?
10-15, depending on the size of the buns you’re serving it on.
I tried this recipe. Absolutely deliscious. I also tried a mild variation of this since I live in the southwest. I added some finally diced pickled jalapenos and some spicy mustard. I want hating it at all. Give it a try. The original is wonderful too. Thx for the recipe.
Just made this for dinner today OMG!!! LOVE IT! We’re a household that loves pickles so I knew this would be a hit but I didn’t think it would be this big of a hit! I need to double the recipe next time! Lol Thank you for sharing this!
We’re a house divided on them, but I LOVE all things pickle- this is now my own go to way to make chicken salad. So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
I just made this today to have for lunche the next few days. Oh my gosh! It is awesome! I don’t think it is going to last more than a day in our house. This is going to become a staple in our house. Thanks for this great recipe!
Aww, thanks Sarah! So glad you guys enjoyed it. And I hear ya about not lasting long! This chicken salad doesn’t stand a chance in my refrigerator either!!
Is the nutritional info anywhere?
How many WW SPs? I love chicken salad!
If you’re asking about Weight Watchers, I’m not familiar with that- but you should be able to easily plug the recipe into one of their calculators & find out. And, I love chicken salad too!
I absolutely love this recipe! Huge dill pickle fan, always use dill instead of sweet in all recipes. The cream cheese is the kicker which keeps it from getting watery. Easy to make and sooo delicious! Will make on the regular.
Delicious! I used dill pickle relish and added fresh dill. Everyone loved it!
Love the addition of fresh dill, Judy! I can see that really adding an extra ‘pop’ of flavor.
So yummy!!
Ha ha – my husband does not like cream cheese. I made it and he had 3 large buns with this piled high on it. He said he would pay for this. He shrugged his shoulders when I told him it had cream cheese. Very good!
I get my own husband the same way all the time! Most notoriously with anything that contains shrimp, and whatever brand of spaghetti sauce happened to be on sale the last time I went shopping- lol. So glad you guys liked it!!
I think the pickle juice curdled the cream cheese a bit. Even with a mixer I can’t get it smoothed. Anyone else have this issue?
Yes absolutely. Not sure how to fix it but I think using dill RELISH might generate better results.
Yummy. Have to figure out my own nutritional value based on following this recipe. Just one more thing to do. Oy.
I didn’t care for this. I didn’t like the taste of the pickles and scallion together. Maybe if I left out the onion it would taste better…for me. I might give it another try with that adjustment. (The creamy mayo sauce is very good!)
I’ve made this recipe several times, including today. Today’s version was a little different. I didn’t have any cream cheese but I had kefir. It was perfect! It blended easier and was maybe a touch more tangy than cream cheese but I just cut back a little on the mayo.
My granddaughter and I made this for the family’s dinner tonight. It was so quick and easy. We all loved it topped with fresh, crunchy lettuce on croissants. We will definitely be making this again! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
What type of buns did you use in this recipe ?? They look so soft and yummy ?!
They’re Schmidt brand ‘old tyme’ style hamburgers, and I get them from Costco. They are as soft and fluffy as they look, but still sturdy enough to hold a heaping helping of hearty chicken salad or all the burger fixings.
My kids LOVE dill pickles, so when I saw this, I knew they would love it packed in their lunch boxes for school. I just make a batch of it for the week, then pack enough into a container for two sliders and pack slider rolls separately. They assemble when they get to lunch. I pack their favorite chips and their choice of fruit or veggie for a complete lunch. Thank you for such a great recipe! I’ll definitely be using this one regularly.
BEST…CHICKEN…SALAD…EVER!!! Thanks for sharing! Will definitely be making again.
This is delicious! Fast and easy to make. Great recipe!
Best chicken salad recipe! I prefer mine crunchy and this recipe delivers. Love the combo of flavors. Very delicious
Awesome recipe. Everyone loves it. Made it twice now. Second time with more pickles.
This chicken salad is awesome! I made some fresh croissants and put the salad in them! It was to die for!
I will definitely make this again!