Whether you’re meal prepping for the week or looking for a quick gourmet-feeling lunch or dinner, this recipe is proof that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Since it uses only half of a rotisserie chicken, leaving the other half for another recipe, along with the skin and bones to make homemade broth for a future soup, it’s basically three recipes for the price of one. This shredded rotisserie chicken salad is light, refreshing, and loaded with the tangy zip of dill pickles, along with lots of crunchy celery and just a hint of fresh dill. All while using a fraction of the mayo found in traditional chicken salad recipes.
When it comes to chicken salad, I will admit to being rather picky. That’s why it is so rare for me to order it at a restaurant or take a spoonful of it at a barbecue or picnic. To me, chicken salad should not be puréed into an inch of its delicious lil’ life. And it should definitely not resemble something you would feed a screaming baby. Sadly, I think most restaurants and home cooks prefer to take the easy way out and shred or chop the chicken with a food processor. Or, if they’re feeling like testing out new and improved kitchen techniques, they instead place the pulled chicken in a stand mixer and let the mixer’s blade shred it for them. P.S. I don’t recommend that last technique. I’ve tried it. And all it really does is fling chicken all over your kitchen. When it comes to kitchen techniques, sometimes we all need to stop being lazy and commit to any extra step or two. Get in there with your hands. Grab a cutting board, a sharp knife, two bowls, and a large stockpot. You’re going to need them for this recipe.
First, use the knife to cut the chicken in half. You’ll use one side for this recipe and the other for another. Working with one half of the chicken, remove the skin and bones. Place the skin and bones in a large stockpot, and using your fingers, shred the chicken into one of the bowls. You want to shred the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. You’re not making baby food, but you’re also not trying to choke anyone. Now, repeat the process with the second half of the chicken and the second bowl. Package and refrigerate or freeze the second bowl of the shredded chicken for later use, and then pour 12 cups of cold water over the skin and bones in the stockpot. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. When the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, remove and discard the bones and skin, strain the liquid, and store the broth in an airtight container for use in soup. Now, with that last bowl of shredded chicken, you can make this dill pickle chicken salad.
Did I lose you already? Was shredding chicken with your own two little hands just too much for you? If so, I suggest you just purchase pre-pulled chicken from your local market. Most of them sell it; however, the price is way higher than a full rotisserie chicken, and you won’t have the added bonus of leftover chicken and homemade broth for two other future recipes. But enough about the actual shredded chicken already. Let’s talk about this particular chicken salad. There is very little mayonnaise in it compared to most traditional chicken salad recipes. And at first, you might think the chicken salad’s dressing is a bit thin and watery. However, It’s surprisingly full of flavor and gets even better after it rests for a day in the refrigerator. The chopped celery and pickles add some serious crunch, and the fresh dill and pickle juice really hit your taste buds with some intense flavor. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that this lil’ chicken salad, right here, is totally worth getting your hands a little dirty for. So get to shredding y’all.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Dill Pickle Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Very Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 2 to 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken (White & Dark Meat)
- 1 1/4 Cups Celery, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Dill Pickles, Chopped
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pickle juice, fresh dill, and black pepper.
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped celery, and chopped dill pickles. Gently stir until combined.
Suggestions:
- I used half of a large rotisserie chicken for this recipe. I cut the rotisserie chicken in half before removing the skin and bones. I used half of the chicken to make this chicken salad and froze the remaining half to make a different one later. I placed all of the skin and bones into a large stockpot, added 12 cups of cold water, and then brought the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture came to a rolling boil, I decreased the heat to medium and cooked it for 1 hour. Once the mixture cooled slightly, I removed and discarded the bones and skin, strained the liquid, and stored the broth in an airtight container for use in soup. You should end up with 6 to 8 cups of chicken broth.
- Every rotisserie chicken is a different size, so you may have more or less shredded chicken to work with. 2 to 2 1/2 cups will be enough for this recipe.
- Shred the chicken with your fingers, removing any tough pieces, bones, or fat. Make sure to shred the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
- I did not add salt to this chicken salad because there is already quite a bit of salt in the dill pickle juice and the dill pickles. You can add salt to taste if you feel like it is needed.
- I suggest using Grillo’s Dill Pickle Slices for this recipe. They have a lovely, somewhat mild flavor and aren’t overly salty compared to some other pickles. They are also super crunchy.
- You can enjoy this chicken salad right away; however, its flavor becomes more intense as it rests. This is one of those recipes where you’ll be excited to eat the leftovers.
Improvements:
- Use hot or spicy dill pickles in place of traditional dill pickles.
- Add a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 to 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic to the chicken salad.
- Fold a few chopped hard-boiled eggs into the chicken salad.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other delicious chicken salad recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Dill Pickle Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Very Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 2 to 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken (White & Dark Meat)
- 1 1/4 Cups Celery, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Dill Pickles, Chopped
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pickle juice, fresh dill, and black pepper.
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped celery, and chopped dill pickles. Gently stir until combined.
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