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Easy Chicken Pecan Salad piled in a wooden bowl with chunks of pecans and celery.

Easy Chicken Pecan Salad (With 5 Variations!)

Cassie Waltman
Make a classic chicken pecan salad with toasted pecans and crunchy celery or step up your chicken salad game with 4 additional variations.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 302 kcal

Ingredients
  

Basic Chicken Pecan Salad

  • 2 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded, about 10 oz.)
  • ⅓ cup pecans (toasted and chopped, about 1.3 oz.)
  • ⅓ cup celery (finely died from one large rib)
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper (ground)

Cranberry Chicken Pecan Salad

  • ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, finely diced

Chicken Pecan Apple Salad

  • ½ cup apple, diced in ¼" pieces
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Curry Chicken Salad with Grapes

  • ¼ cup shredded carrot
  • ½ cup green grapes, quartered
  • 1½ teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Chicken Salad Melt

  • ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

Basic Chicken Pecan Salad

  • Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Remove to a cutting board to cool and then chop.
  • In a medium bowl, combine diced chicken, celery, pecans, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper until well mixed. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Variations

  • Stir in the additional ingredients listed above.
  • For the chicken salad melt butter one side of a piece of bread. Place it in a skillet (butter side down) heated over medium-low heat. Sprinkle the cheese over the bread and then cover with a generous amount of chicken salad. Place another piece of buttered bread (buttered side up) on top and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until the bread is toasted golden and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Nutrition facts are calculated for the basic chicken pecan salad version.

Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 19gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 468mgPotassium: 221mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 84IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
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