Tangy dill pickles, crunchy celery, chopped egg and fresh dill in a creamy mustard dressing made with Greek yogurt and a little mayo. My dill pickle chicken salad needs no oven, and with rotisserie chicken it’s ready in about 20 minutes. Fine, it’s the most delicious chicken salad you’ll ever eat if you love pickles and mustard. But if you’re reading this, I think it’s time to try.

It’s NUMBER ONE in my house, and I’ve been asked politely never to let it run out. Ha. Each serving is 200 calories with 24.4 grams of protein, and the recipe makes 4.

Quick and easy pickle chicken salad in croissant being help in hand. Bowl of chicken salad below sandwich on top of wooden cutting board.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

  • Recipe Name: Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
  • Ready In: 20 minutes
  • Serves: 4 servings
  • Calories: 200 cal
  • Protein: 24.4g
  • Fat: 6.6g
  • Carbs: 8.2g
  • Why You'll Love It: A quick and easy chicken salad that fits your macros with the perfect amount of crunch!

Before You Start Cooking

  • Wake up rotisserie chicken. I would never want to eat Costco’s pre-packaged rotisserie breast plain. I shred and chop it, then toss it in a super hot pan with a GOOD pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder for about a minute and a half. Cool it in the fridge while you chop the veggies.
  • Keep the sear short. Too long and it tastes like re-cooked poultry. You just want to bring it back to life.
  • Have your eggs boiled. Hard-boiled eggs from the fridge keep this quick. If you’re boiling them fresh, plan on extra time.
  • Chop the pickles and celery fine. Small pieces mean pickle in every bite and a salad that holds together on a cracker.

Important Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Dill pickles: Use a brand you love eating straight from the jar. Readers love Grillo’s, and one used Grillo’s hot pickles for a spicy version.
  • Sweet relish: It balances all that tang. One reader skipped it and still loved it.
  • Celery: Chopped fennel works too if you want a little anise flavor.
  • Mayo: I use a low-fat mayo labeled 3.5 grams of fat per tablespoon.

For dairy-free, use a dairy-free yogurt or skip the Greek yogurt and use all light mayo. One reader skipped the yogurt and added a little extra mustard.

Ingredients for pickle chicken salad in bowl.

How to Make Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

  1. Prep the chicken. Shred and chop the chicken. If it’s rotisserie, give it the quick sear above and let it cool.
  2. Combine. Add the chicken, eggs, celery, pickles, green onion, relish and dill to a bowl.
  3. Dress it. Whisk the mayo, Greek yogurt, vinegar and mustard, then stir it into the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it keep?

About 4 days in the fridge, which makes it great for lunch prep. Stir it before serving, since the pickles release a little juice as it sits.

Mine seems dry. What should I do?

One reader who tripled the recipe made a little extra dressing on the side. Whisk up another half batch of the yogurt and mustard dressing and stir in as much as you like.

Can I leave out the eggs?

Yes. One reader skipped the yolks and kept the whites, and it was still great. The macros will change a little, so log it the way you make it.

Pickle chicken salad in bowl with fork.

How to Serve Pickle Chicken Salad

We eat it on rice cakes, corn thins, crackers or a sandwich. For something lighter, try it in jicama tortillas (Trader Joe’s sells thin jicama rounds) or wrapped in lettuce. It’s also great stuffed in pitas with sprouts and extra mustard. One reader says her kids request it for school lunches.

If you like having lunches like this planned out, my meal plans do the planning and the macros for you every week.

Quick pickle chicken salad garnished with green onions in gray bowl on top of wooden cutting board.

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This pickle chicken salad is a staple at my house. www.lillieeatsandtells.com

Dill Pickle Chicken Salad

A quick and easy chicken salad that fits your macros with the perfect amount of crunch!
4.97 from 94 votes
Author Lillie
Course Lunch
Cuisine American, Healthy
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rotisserie chicken breast* or other cooked chicken (300g)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs chopped (75g)
  • 1 ½ cup celery chopped fine (150g), fennel works too
  • 1 ½ cup dill pickles chopped (200g)
  • ½ cup green onion chopped (60g)
  • ¼ cup sweet relish (60g)
  • 2-3 Tbsp dill chopped (8g)
  • 2 Tbsp low-fat mayo (30g)
  • 3 Tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt (45g)
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (15g)
  • 1 Tbsp mustard (15g)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients from chicken to dill.
  • Make a quick dressing by whisking Mayo, Greek yogurt, vinegar, and mustard. Mix dressing in salad and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Eat on rice cakes, corn thins, crackers… wrapped in lettuce or build a sandwich!

Notes

Chicken: If you’re using some yummy seasoned grilled chicken etc, chop it up and throw it in your bowl and call it good! But if I’m using the pre-packaged rotisserie chicken breast from Costco (which I would never want to eat plain), I like to shred and chop a bit, removing any gross parts. Then I heat a pan super hot, season the chicken with a GOOD pinch of kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and throw it in the pan undisturbed for just a minute. Toss and leave for about 30 more seconds and remove from heat. You don’t want it tasting like re-cooked poultry! You just kind of want to bring it to life with flavor and improved texture. If you do this, transfer to a plate and pop in the fridge to cool while you prep your veggies. It will shrink a tiny bit while cooking, so  you’ll probably end up with about 265 grams of chicken… but the macros are the same as the original 300 g of rotisserie chicken breast so don’t let it confuse you!
Mayo: I just used the low-fat labeled 3.5 fat per Tbsp. If you’d rather use all Greek yogurt, go for it! One portion will have 1.5 less fat, and almost 1 more gram of protein. No biggie.
I made a couple of TINY changes to this recipe after posting on my IG page. Just added a little more pickles, celery, and Greek yogurt to stretch the portion and macros just a hair. 
This keeps great in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. We’ll eat it all week if it lasts!
Nutrition:
 
Serves 4
 
Serving size 230g
 
200 calories, 6.6 fat, 8.2 carbs, 24.4 protein, 1.4 fiber
 
Search: Lillie Eats and Tells Pickle Chicken Salad

Nutrition

Serving: 230gCalories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 8.2gProtein: 24.4gFat: 6.6gFiber: 1.4g
Keywords chicken, pickle, rotisserie chicken breast, salad

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About the Author

Hello. My name is Lillie. I’m not a registered dietitian, or a macro coach, or a public figure or culinary genius. I’m a mommy of four who FOUND macro-counting and fell in love with this balanced approach to food.

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Just made this and it is delicious!! Super easy and wow, what a serving size 🙂
    Glad I came upon you on Insta. Thanks for all your work

  2. 5 stars
    I was a little skeptical, but I love chicken salad and egg salad. Fantastic! I love this and it will help keep me on track for easy, macro friendly lunches. Great on corn thins!

    1. 5 stars
      This was so good. I’m not a big fan of the ingredients individually but together it was so delicious and the balance of flavors was perfect. Will definitely make again.

  3. 5 stars
    LOOOOOVE this salad in a pita! I made a double batch (should have been a triple, ha) and then sent it to all my friends. It’s amazing and such a huge portion for little macros.

  4. 5 stars
    Wasn’t so sure but after making it I can see why it is a weekly necessity! It’s an easy grab out of the fridge and a delicious meal or snack. First recipe I’ve tried of yours which makes me excited to try everything else you’ve got on here. 😘👌🏻

  5. I make this at least once a week! It’s one of our favorites. I omit the sweet relish because I absolutely hate that trash pickle other than that I keep everything as the recipe calls for.

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