Creamy Southern Chicken Salad

I’ve been making this Southern chicken salad for years, and it’s hands-down my favorite way to use up leftover chicken. The secret is in the sweet pickle relish and a generous sprinkle of lemon pepper – they give it that classic tangy-sweet flavor that keeps everyone coming back for seconds. Whether you’re stuffing it in a croissant or piling it on crackers, this recipe is pure comfort food at its finest.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1400-1600
• Protein: 110-130 g
• Fat: 105-120 g
• Carbohydrates: 26-34 g

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 1.5 tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

For the salad:

• 4 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
• 2 celery ribs (finely diced)
• 3 green onions (thinly sliced)

Step 1: Build the Creamy Dressing Base

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 1.5 tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, honey mustard, and apple cider vinegar.

Whisk until smooth and well combined.

Add the lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika, stirring to distribute the spices evenly throughout the dressing.

This creates your flavor foundation—I find whisking rather than just stirring helps incorporate the spices more uniformly so you don't get pockets of paprika or garlic powder.

Step 2: Prepare and Combine the Protein and Vegetables

• 4 cups cooked chicken
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 2 celery ribs
• 3 green onions
• creamy dressing base from Step 1

Add the shredded or cubed cooked chicken to the dressing, stirring gently to coat evenly.

Fold in the chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, and thinly sliced green onions until everything is well distributed.

Be gentle when mixing to keep the eggs and chicken from breaking apart too much.

I like to use a rubber spatula and fold rather than vigorously stir—this keeps the texture more pleasant and prevents the chicken from shredding into tiny pieces.

Step 3: Chill and Set the Flavors

• chicken salad mixture from Step 2

Transfer the chicken salad to a serving bowl or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.

This chilling time allows the flavors to meld together and helps the salad reach the perfect cold temperature for serving.

The overnight rest really makes a difference in flavor development—the pickle relish and mustard have time to fully integrate with the creamy base.

Step 4: Serve

Remove the chicken salad from the refrigerator and give it a gentle stir to redistribute any juices that may have settled.

Serve chilled alongside crackers, bread, or on a bed of greens as desired.

Creamy Southern Chicken Salad

Delicious Creamy Southern Chicken Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 17 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 1500

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the dressing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 1.5 tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

For the salad

• 4 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
• 2 celery ribs (finely diced)
• 3 green onions (thinly sliced)

Method

 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, honey mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Add the lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika, stirring to distribute the spices evenly throughout the dressing. This creates your flavor foundation—I find whisking rather than just stirring helps incorporate the spices more uniformly so you don't get pockets of paprika or garlic powder.
2. Add the shredded or cubed cooked chicken to the dressing, stirring gently to coat evenly. Fold in the chopped hard-boiled eggs, finely diced celery, and thinly sliced green onions until everything is well distributed. Be gentle when mixing to keep the eggs and chicken from breaking apart too much. I like to use a rubber spatula and fold rather than vigorously stir—this keeps the texture more pleasant and prevents the chicken from shredding into tiny pieces.
3. Transfer the chicken salad to a serving bowl or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight. This chilling time allows the flavors to meld together and helps the salad reach the perfect cold temperature for serving. The overnight rest really makes a difference in flavor development—the pickle relish and mustard have time to fully integrate with the creamy base.
4. Remove the chicken salad from the refrigerator and give it a gentle stir to redistribute any juices that may have settled. Serve chilled alongside crackers, bread, or on a bed of greens as desired.