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.
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.
How to Make Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
- Prep the chicken. Shred and chop the chicken. If it’s rotisserie, give it the quick sear above and let it cool.
- Combine. Add the chicken, eggs, celery, pickles, green onion, relish and dill to a bowl.
- 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.
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.
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Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
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
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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This is a great recipe! I’ve made enormous batches 2 weeks in a row and my family devours it within a couple of days.
In the new macro cookbook the two hard boiled eggs are left out of the recipe do you have a reason for that or was it just a typo?
Yeah that one’s my dairy and egg free version! Slightly different simpler recipe
My family loves this, it’s so yummy! I tripled the recipe today because everyone kept asking for it again.
Good recipe, I think next time I will make with Dijon mustard and add some jalapeños or something else with spice.
I wanted to add to my comment, my 22 month old eats this by the handful!
This is healthy and delicious eating- you WANT to eat!!
I’ve been making a variation of this recipe weekly for over a year now, so I figured it was time to write a review! At work I only have access to a fridge, no microwave, so I need something that can be eaten cold. I started with Kale Kouture’s dill chicken salad, then moved over to this recipe of Lillie’s. It’s so easy to make on Sunday’s to have a week of lunches ready to go!
I could eat this all day, every day (and I do when I have it in my fridge)! So yummy and perfect for a quick snack or meal!
Love the flavor of this delicious salad! My husband took it for lunch the last two days and just texted me this:
“We never need to find another chicken salad recipe
Let’s stick with this one forever.”
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Substituted the greek yogurt with Kite Hill dairy free unflavored yogurt and came out just as great.
I was honestly really skeptical of this recipe, but oh my gosh it’s amazing. I made it using the dairy free substitute mentioned on IG. I’ve made this 2 weeks in a row for meal prep and the whole family is a fan 🙌🏻
If we just hate Mayo can we leave it out? And any subs for relish for those avoiding sugar
This recipe is so amazing! It’s a weekly staple in our house. I usually make a double batch and I still don’t understand how we always run out of it. It’s that good!
delicious spin on chicken salad
Yum! Skipped the relish and used a tsp of dried dill because that was what I had. So good and lots of it!
Went to three stores today and cannot find green onion/scallion anywhere local. I have all the other ingredients- is it still worth making or should I wait to find the green onion? Thanks!