The Best Chicken Salad
This is hands down the best chicken salad I’ve ever made – and I don’t say that lightly. Juicy herbed chicken, crunchy homemade croutons, crisp veg, and a generous hit of caesar dressing make every bite bold, salty, and satisfying. Topped with grated Pecorino for a savoury kick, it’s the kind of salad that actually fills you up. I love making it for lunch, meal prep, or light dinners when I want something fresh but still packed with flavour and texture.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 400g chicken, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp onion granules
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
Croutons
- 60g bread, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt flakes
Salad
- 1 gem lettuce, chopped
- 1 cucumber, finely diced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 250g cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 50g Pecorino cheese, grated (or other hard Italian cheese)
- 4 tbsp caesar salad dressing
Instructions
Chicken
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Toss the chicken through the herbs, spices and lemon juice, before transferring to the hot skillet.
- Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and turning golden in colour.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Toss the diced bread through 1 tbsp of olive oil and a large pinch of sea salt.
- Transfer the diced bread to a baking tray, and bake in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the croutons are golden and crunchy.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
Salad
- Toss the tomatoes through 1 tsp of table salt and set aside in a fine sieve for 10 minutes to allow any excess juice to drain off. Discard the juice.
- Toss together the lettuce, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, Pecorino cheese, and caesar salad dressing until well combined.
- Divide between four bowls, and top with chicken and croutons before serving.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 474Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 858mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 31g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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The Best Chicken Salad Recipe
The Salad He Eats (Even If He Won’t Admit It)
This Chicken Salad has somehow become a Monday night regular in our house, even though I originally made it just for myself. You see, my husband doesn’t eat vegetables. Like, at all. If I don’t cook for him, his idea of a meal is a tortilla wrap with two Kraft singles and a generous squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise. Or, if he’s feeling particularly fancy, a bowl of pasta with a tin of tuna and the same mayonnaise. I wish I were exaggerating, but that’s genuinely the extent of his culinary efforts. So the fact that he eats this salad at all is honestly a small miracle. Not only eats it, but scoffs down the entire thing if I leave it in the fridge. Goodbye to the idea of leftovers!
I’m not going to sugarcoat anything and pretend our life is Instagram-perfect anymore. It’s not. I’m not happy. I’m in pain all the time. The depression and anxiety has been brutal, and I’m getting through it one day at a time. Writing these recipes helps. Cooking helps. Being able to share things honestly here helps, even if it’s only in small ways. I’m grateful that he just eats (inhales??) my food and doesn’t read what I write about it. And I know I’ll be OK eventually. Right now, I’m clinging tight to my friends, my family back in Australia, and whatever bits of my health and sanity I can protect. This chicken salad? It’s a small, delicious victory in the chaos.
It’s also a damn good winter salad. You get crunchy croutons, creamy dressing, herby warm chicken, fresh veg, and of course, cheese. Because it’s me. And if there’s a way to add cheese, I will find it. Every forkful is comforting and familiar, like something you’ve eaten a hundred times but still look forward to. It’s hearty enough for a meal and honestly one of the only ways I get something vaguely green into my husband. So if you’re dealing with fussy eaters or just want something lovely and satisfying, this one’s a winner.
Why the Photo Looks Like That
Now. Let’s talk about the photo. Look, I know it’s not great. It’s not even good, really. I’ve been testing out a new photography set-up and, as you can probably tell, things haven’t quite gone to plan. The lighting’s off, the camera wasn’t cooperating, and I forgot to make a few key tweaks before shooting. I almost didn’t post it at all. But hey, I’m not here to pretend everything I do is polished and perfect. Sometimes you just have to get the shot and move on.
To make matters worse, I’m not vibing with the backdrop either. I gave this new one a go, and it’s just not working. It’s too busy, too dark, too something. I miss my old white wooden backdrop, and my actual kitchen benches are brown, which is just about the worst colour for food photography. They reflect light in all the wrong ways and make everything look just a bit sad. So backdrops are a must, even if they’re a faff to set up.
Honestly, I wish I had one of those beautiful, dreamy food photography spaces you see on Instagram. You know the ones. Natural light pouring through the window, marble bench tops, perfectly curated props. But I live in a flat with limited natural light, and I have to work with what I’ve got. So if the photo doesn’t wow you, just know the salad itself makes up for it. And maybe next time, I’ll manage to get a shot that does it justice. Or not. We’ll see.
When You Don’t Know What’s Next
I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be posting my next recipe. Things are a bit all over the place right now, and let’s just say I’ve got a few plans slowly bubbling away in the background. Again, I’m glad he doesn’t read my blog. Because honestly, it’s getting harder to smile and pretend. He doesn’t cook, doesn’t clean, doesn’t help. But he will eat absolutely everything I make, even when it’s clearly not for him. And he does it with zero shame. It’s exhausting. I’m exhausted.
This blog has always been the one space I get to be honest. Not just with you, but with myself. I share the recipes, yes, but in between the lines there’s more. I’m not looking for pity, and I’m not laying everything bare. But I will say this: I’m quietly making moves. Slowly, carefully, deliberately. My family back home in Australia is my anchor, and every small step I take is toward a life that feels lighter. Freer. I might still be making salads in a cramped kitchen for someone who doesn’t appreciate them, but that won’t be my forever.
So if you’re reading this and sensing something under the surface – you’re not wrong. But we carry on. We find joy where we can. And sometimes, joy is a really good chicken salad that makes you feel like you’ve taken care of yourself, even just for a moment. Thank you for being here. Truly. I don’t take it for granted.
Ingredients Breakdown
For the chicken, I just dice it up and toss it in olive oil, lemon juice, onion granules, garlic salt and a bit of dried mixed herbs. It’s quick and easy, but still gives it loads of flavour. I like to cook it until it’s just golden on the edges and still juicy. It’s warm and herby and exactly what a winter salad needs.
The croutons are just bits of bread I’ve got lying around. I chop them up, give them a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes, and toast them until golden. You can use the oven or air-fryer, whatever works. They’re crunchy and salty and add the perfect contrast to everything else. I always end up snacking on them while I cook, which is probably why I never have enough.
The rest of the salad is simple: chopped gem lettuce, a finely diced cucumber, grated carrot and heaps of quartered cherry tomatoes. Then I grate over some Pecorino cheese because I can’t help myself, and finish it all with a generous drizzle of Caesar dressing. It’s crunchy and creamy and salty and fresh, all in one bowl. It tastes like you’ve pulled yourself together even when you haven’t.
