Smoked chicken salad elevates the classic sandwich filling with a couple easy substitutions. Featuring smoked chicken, a creamy dressing, and a carefully chosen blend of seasonings and flavoring, this recipe is sure to be your new go to!

I love making chicken salad out of leftover chicken.

And one of my favorite ways to make chicken over the summer is smoking it.

So naturally smoked chicken salad happened.

And we all love it!

Smoky pulled chicken, crunchy diced celery and onions, in a zippy creamy base?

Chicken salad perfection!

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

Chicken– Roughly chopped, pulled, smoked chicken. We also love using the leftovers from this whole smoked cider chicken.
Celery– Diced
Green onions– Thinly sliced
Mayonnaise– Real, full fat mayo and not low fat mayo, Miracle Whip, or mayonnaise style dressing.
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice– Fresh or bottled.
Seasonings– Smoked paprika, garlic powder, celery salt, hot sauce, and salt and pepper
Pickle juice– It’s optional but does give chicken salad a nice, briny zip.

How to Make

To make this smoked chicken salad recipe, gently toss the chicken, celery, and onions together in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk all the remaining ingredients except for the salt and pepper together in a small mixing bowl until they are smooth.

Pour the sauce over the chicken salad mixture, stirring gently until everything’s evenly combined.

Taste the chicken salad and add salt and pepper the chicken salad, to taste.

Serve the chicken salad immediately, or cover and chill for 2 hours before enjoying.

How to Serve Smoked Chicken Salad

We love using this as:

filling for sandwiches
dip with chips and crackers
a topping for green salads
as a filling for a melt

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Tips and Tricks

This creamy chicken salad will firm up some in the fridge after chilling, but it is intended to be creamy. Start with 3/4 cup of mayo, and prepare the chicken salad as desired. If prefer it more creamy, add another 1/4 cup of mayo and stir to combine.
Serve this chicken salad either warm or cold. Chilling it will allow it to firm up and allow the flavors to develop and deepen.
Feel free to adjust the seasonings to suite your taste.

Other Chicken Salad Recipes

Smoked chicken salad is a delicious variation of the classic.

Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other chicken salad recipes?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this SMOKED 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!

Smoked Chicken Salad

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Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Ingredients

4 cups roughly chopped pulled, smoked chicken
3-4 stalks celery diced
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp pickle juice optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the chicken, celery, and onions to a large mixing bowl. Gently toss together until evenly combined.
4 cups roughly chopped pulled, smoked chicken, 3-4 stalks celery, 1 bunch green onions
To a small mixing bowl add the remaining ingredients, except salt & pepper. Whisk them together until evenly combined and the sauce is smooth.
3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp celery salt, 1 tsp hot sauce, 2 tbsp pickle juice
Pour the sauce over the chicken salad mixture, stirring gently until everything's evenly combined. Salt & pepper the chicken salad, to taste.
Serve the chicken salad immediately, or cover and chill for 2 hours before enjoying.

Notes

This creamy chicken salad will firm up some in the fridge after chilling, but it is intended to be creamy. Start with 3/4 cup of mayo, and prepare the chicken salad as desired. If prefer it more creamy, add another 1/4 cup of mayo and stir to combine.
Serve this chicken salad either warm or cold. Chilling it will allow it to firm up and allow the flavors to develop and deepen.
Feel free to adjust the seasonings to suite your taste.