Black Folks Southern Chicken Salad Recipe

A Black folks chicken salad recipe is a must-have for anyone who loves good, homestyle soul food meals that are also quick and easy to make.

This Southern-style recipe is creamy, luscious, and flavorful. Everything you love about Southern cuisine, all in one bite! 

What is a Black folks’ chicken salad recipe?

Are you craving the perfect chicken salad?

A chicken salad that goes beyond the mayo and chicken chunks, packed with flavor and just the right amount of savory and sweetness. And not just mushy – there’s texture to each bite. Even a little crunch. That’s what you can expect in a Black folks’ chicken salad recipe!

Why does my chicken salad taste so bland?

Asked another way, “How do you make chicken taste more flavorful?”

If your chicken salad is bland, you are likely missing components from the seasoning blend.

In a Southern soul food chicken salad recipe, the creamy dressing is balanced with just the right amount of tang and sweetness from the fruit. While the seasoned chicken breast adds a savory flavor combined with the perfect blend of seasonings and spices and a delicious pecan crunch.

One bite of this chicken salad, and you will be in Southern heaven!

Is chicken salad a Southern thing?

Chicken salad is a favorite Southern meal or snack served with crackers or sandwich bread.

It’s probably a Southern favorite because it’s often made from leftover Southern fried chicken or a Southern-style whole chicken recipe.

What spices enhance the flavor of chicken?

This chicken salad recipe calls for a generous amount of salt, pepper, diced celery, onions, apples, and pecans.

If the chicken was pre-made using a Southern soul food recipe, it’s likely the chicken was seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion powder.

What ingredients are in a Southern Black folks chicken salad recipe?

What do you put in a Black folks’ Southern chicken salad recipe?

Southern-style chicken salad is a delicious dish that can be found at many restaurants all over the US. Here are some of the ingredients you might find in this dish: seasoned chicken breast, mayonnaise, celery, onions, red apple, red grapes, and pecans – for texture and bite!

The red grapes add sweetness and a touch of tartness that takes this dish to the next level. Then the deliciously crunchy celery, apples, and chopped pecans round out the flavors perfectly.

How do you prepare a Black folks’ Southern chicken salad recipe?

Wanna know how to make the best chicken salad?

The first step to making a Southern chicken salad is to cook up your favorite type of chicken breast. Next, add in your favorite dressing until it reaches the desired consistency. Chop up the other fruits, veggies, and seasonings. It’s so easy that after that, you simply mix, serve, and enjoy!

Shop my kitchenware HERE!

How to make Black folks chicken salad

Ingredients for a Black folk’s chicken salad recipe

• 3 cups of cooked and seasoned chicken breasts, shredded

Get The Soul Food Pot whole chicken recipe HERE!

• ½ a cup of mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip or plain Greek yogurt)
• ½ a cup red grapes, halved or quartered, depending on the size 
• ½ a cup of red apple, diced
• ½ a cup of celery, diced
• ¼ cup of green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup of pecans, chopped 
• ½ a teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions for Black folk’s chicken salad recipe

1. Get the best recipe for flavorful, tender, juicy Southern-style chicken HERE!
2. Once the chicken is made, shred or chop the cooked chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
3. Cut the grapes in half or quarters if you’re working with very large grapes.
4. Dice the apple, celery, and onions.
5. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients (chicken, mayonnaise, grapes, apple, celery, onions, chopped pecans, salt, and pepper) by mixing well with a small rubber spatula.
6. Serve this Black folks’ chicken salad recipe right away and enjoy on your favorite sandwich bread (croissant, focaccia, honey wheat bread, etc.) or with your favorite crackers, and enjoy!

How do you serve a chicken salad?

The first step is to start with a quality chicken salad recipe (like this one!) that uses fresh ingredients and has a good flavor profile and salad texture.

The next step is to select a suitable serving dish. Your selection will depend on the size of your party and how many people you’ll serve. A simple bowl will do for smaller gatherings. But you may want to use a decorative platter or even a compote or large bowl on a cake stand for bigger groups.

What can be served with chicken salad sandwiches?

The third step is to assemble your condiments and sandwich fixings. Again, feel free to get creative here! 

Chicken salad sandwiches are most commonly topped with shredded lettuce, tomato or avocado slices, chopped onion rings, and slices of cheese. And sometimes even served alongside cornbread.

Finally, add the finishing touches. Which can include crumbled blue cheese, chopped parsley, or a drizzle of your favorite sauce or condiment, from honey dijon to honey mustard or a lemon poppy seed dressing.

Don’t forget to include a spread of crackers, kind of like a charcuterie for those who want a simple chicken salad and cracker snack instead of a whole sandwich entrée or main dish.

What do you serve with this Black folks’ chicken salad recipe?

From easy snacks to side dishes – there are many options for serving chicken salad, starting with French fries, potato chips, or a bowl of fresh fruit. 

Chicken salad can be served on a bed of lettuce for a salad entrée. Or you could pair with soul food side dish favorites like Southern potato salad, macaroni salad, or macaroni and cheese.

Black folks Southern chicken salad recipe FAQs

What do they call chicken in the South?

Domestic chicken in the Deep South may also be called Yardbird. 

Makes sense considering the brand of Southern restaurants with this name, known for their incredible buttermilk fried chicken on the menu.

How do you shred chicken for chicken salad?

In all honesty, Southern cooks typically shred chicken for chicken salad by hand!

Have you ever thought about using a Cuisineart or food processor to chop the chicken?

Yes, you can use the food processor to make this homemade recipe. But if you want more chunkiness in your chicken, simply cut up the chicken with a knife instead!

Pro tip: 

Another easy way to shred chicken is with a hand mixer! Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl, and use a mixer on low speed to break the chicken into shreds. 

What kind of chicken is best in chicken salad?

What kind of chicken do you use for this recipe?

Some people prefer grilled chicken or a roasted chicken/rotisserie chicken taste. Others enjoy the crispy texture of fried chicken. Either will be just as delicious as the other and is simply a choice of preference for this recipe.

But most important to whatever kind of chicken you choose, make sure it’s seasoned well for this soul food recipe!

Can you use boneless chicken breasts or thighs to make this chicken salad?

This recipe calls for cooked and seasoned chicken breasts – and boneless chicken is best. However, you can also use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat to white meat for your chicken dishes.

How do you flatten chicken breasts?

Flattening or pounding chicken breasts makes for even cooking. To do this, wrap the breasts in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Then pound until all the pieces are even in thickness.

Flattening chicken is usually done with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin. But you can also use a small cast-iron skillet just as effectively!

Black people chicken salad

How much chicken do you need per person for chicken salad?

This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken and will yield enough to make 6 chicken salad sandwiches – about half a cup for each sandwich.

You’ll have more chicken salad leftover if you’re enjoying it with crackers only and not as sandwiches.

How many days can you keep this Black folks’ Southern chicken salad recipe?

In other words, how long will this chicken salad recipe last in the fridge?

The best chicken salad recipe is one that’s flavorful, texturally appealing, and you can whip up in a hurry. 

This mayonnaise-based blend of fresh fruits and vegetables will stay good for about 3 days if refrigerated in an air-tight container. However, due to the presence of mayonnaise along with perishable produce, it’s not recommended to keep this chicken salad for more extended periods.

Why is your chicken salad watery?

Or how do you keep chicken salad from getting watery?

Ensure your vegetables are not wet and completely dry before dicing them to add to a Southern chicken salad recipe.

Also, a leftover chicken salad sitting in the fridge for an evening will absorb water from the celery and onions. It’s best to stir it well before serving so your deliciousness is not diluted.

How can you thicken up your chicken salad?

Looking for a way to thicken up your chicken salad? You can tweak the dish’s consistency by adding more chicken, pecans, apples, grapes, chopped celery, or even some canned chicken.

Other delicious additions for thickening up your salad include red onion, sweet pickle relish, or dried cranberry. Chicken salad is a versatile dish that you can jazz up with whatever your taste buds are craving. 

I’ve even seen recipes thickened with curry, Tumeric, garlic powder, and onion powder for a curried chicken salad!

Do you love hard-boiled eggs in chicken salad and dressing?

For a flavor boost, you can also add some chopped hard-boiled eggs. Dicing the eggs will make this an easy addition.

What can you substitute for celery in chicken salad?

A lot of people love chicken salad, but not everyone likes celery. This recipe includes other flavorful enhancements like diced apples, halved grapes, green onion, and chopped pecans. So if celery is not your jam, it’s OK to remove the celery altogether from this recipe.

What can you use instead of pecans for someone with a nut allergy?

Besides pecans, how about other nuts like almonds or walnuts?

Not if someone has a nut allergy! It’s OK to remove the pecans altogether from this recipe. The apples and celery will still deliver that yummy crunch!

How do you fix dry chicken salad?

Chicken salad is a perfect meal when it’s not drenched in mayo or pickle juice! The celery and onions in this recipe naturally add moisture. But if you want a bit more, add some extra lettuce or tomato to your chicken salad sandwich. Or cilantro followed by a bit of fresh lemon juice.

What do you think about this recipe?

Black folks’ chicken salad recipe is the ideal way to bring some old-fashioned charm to your next picnic or potluck. Plus, it’s effortless to make!

So the next time you’ve got some leftover chicken, give this Black folk’s chicken salad recipe a try. 

Have you had it?

Would you make it? 

Lemme know in a comment below, and subscribe HERE for all the soul food!

More Black folks recipes to love:

Like this post? Pin the below image to your Pinterest “Soul Food Recipes” board!