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The Best Chicken Salad Recipe – Zoe’s Kitchen Copycat

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This chicken salad recipe has just 5 simple ingredients and is so tasty, crunchy, and light.

It’s insanely easy and is the perfect salad to have on a bed of lettuce or on a sandwich!


If you’re looking for a “go to” recipe perfect for summertime picnics, family get togethers or a quick meal prep recipe, look no further than this delicious cold salad.

This simple healthy salad can be whipped up in minutes, and it is sure to be a hit with your friends and family.

There is a brown bowl with chopped up lettuce in it. There is a large scoop of chicken salad on top of the lettuce. There are rings of red onion and four cherry tomatoes on the lettuce. There is a small round wooden board with light brown crackers on it in the background. Items are on a white marble surface.

Zoe’s Kitchen is a Mediterranean style casual fast food restaurant chain founded in 1995. There are only a few locations still open.


Zoe’s menu has a wide variety of healthy recipes which is the unique aspect of this restaurant. 

The menu includes various salads including a Greek salad with feta cheese and bell peppers and a delicious quinoa salad.

The chicken kabobs, steak kabobs, and shrimp kabobs are family favorites.

 Other delicious and popular side dish items include potato salad, pasta salad, egg salad, classic hummus, basil pesto hummus, to name just a few!

Zoe’s Kitchen Chicken salad is one of the best I’ve ever tasted!

So, if you have any leftover chicken, toss in some celery, mayonnaise, and a little salt and pepper. It’s a great way to make an easy recipe that I promise your taste buds are going to love!

The Delicious Ingredients

There is a large white bowl with shredded chicken in it. There is a smaller white bowl with mayonnaise in it. There are two stalks of celery and two small clear glass ramekins. One has salt in it the other has ground black pepper in it. Items are on a white marble surface.

Ingredients For Zoe’s Chicken Salad Recipe

  •  Chicken breasts – shredded
  • Celery – chopped
  • Mayonnaise
  • Sea salt
  • Fresh ground pepper

Helpful Tools

  • Large bowl
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp kitchen knife
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoon
  • 2 forks for shredding the chicken
  • Vegetable peeler (See Top Tip)

How To Make Zoe’s Kitchen Chicken Salad Recipe

There is a large dark blue serving bowl with a mixture of shredded chicken, chopped celery, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in it. The bowl is on a white marbled surface.

Easy Instructions

  • Use two forks and shred the chicken.
  • Rinse, dry, peel, and finely chop the celery. (See Top Tip)
  • In a large bowl, Mix shredded chicken, celery, mayonnaise, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
  • Mix until throughly combined. 
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Top Tip

  • Celery strings can be a little tough and chewy sometimes and it is best to remove them. Use a vegetable peeler to lightly peel off the strings.

Let’s Talk Salad Ingredients 

Cooked Chicken Breasts – Tender white breast meat is the best. Leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect for this recipe. Canned chicken and leftover baked chicken including dark meat works.

Mayonnaise – I’m a huge Duke’s Mayo lover! I love it’s tanginess and the fact that it has no sugar in it. I’ve been a fan of it for more than 20 years. However, any good mayonnaise is fine.

Celery – You want the raw celery to be fresh. It adds so much flavor to this crunchy salad recipe!

Sea Salt –  Adding salt is completely optional. I have a family member that has to watch her sodium intake so I’m usually very light handed when adding salt. If you do choose to add it, use any salt without iodine for the best taste.

Fresh Ground Pepper – fresh pepper is definitely more flavorful than pre ground pepper. It adds a bit of savor to the salad.

The Best Chicken Salad Sandwich

There is a stacked chicken salad sandwich on white bread in a light brown paper lined square dish. There is a slice of white cheese, lettuce, tomato slices, and onion slices on the sandwich. There is a large wooden toothpick pierced through the top on the stacked sandwich. The dish is on a wood surface.

Chicken Salad Variations

  • My favorite sandwich is the rotisserie chicken salad sandwich with Swiss cheese, sliced tomato, lettuce, and thinly sliced onion on sourdough bread. Yummy!
  • There are many styles and variations of chicken salad. 
  • Zoe’s chicken salad is wickedly good but if you ever want to switch it up a little, do so by adding ingredients like:
    • Halved seedless grapes
    • Pecan pieces
    • Dried cranberries
    • Chopped dill pickles
    • A bit of fresh dill
  • Add a chopped hard boiled egg and sweet relish to the chicken salad to create a more southern style recipe.

Chicken Salad In Pita Bread

There is a blue round plate with a light brown pita pocket filled with chicken salad and lettuce. There are red cherry tomatoes on the plate as well. There is a light blue plaid cloth napkin laying next to the plate. Items are on a wood surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Make Chicken Salad Ahead?

Yes, chicken salad can be made one to two days before serving.

What Is The Best Way To Store Chicken Salad?

Store any leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?

You can freeze chicken salad in a plastic zipper bag or an air tight container for up to three months. Allow the chicken salad to come to room temperature before serving.

If you like this tasty dish, check out some more from Join Me In The Kitchen!

Yield: 4 servings

The Best Chicken Salad Recipe - Zoe's Kitchen Copycat

There is a brown bowl with chopped up lettuce in it. There is a large scoop of chicken salad on top of the lettuce. There are rings of red onion and four cherry tomatoes on the lettuce. There is a small round wooden board with light brown crackers on it in the background. Items are on a white marble surface.

This chicken salad recipe has just 5 simple ingredients and is so tasty, crunchy, and light.

It's insanely easy and is the perfect salad to have on a bed of lettuce or on a sandwich.

If you're looking for a "go to" recipe perfect for summertime picnics, family get togethers or a quick meal prep recipe, look no further than this delicious cold salad.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chicken breasts - shredded
  • 1/2 cup celery - chopped
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt - or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper - or to taste

Instructions

  1. Use two forks and shred the chicken.
  2. Rinse, dry, peel, and finely chop the celery. (See Top Tip)
  3. In a large bowl, Mix shredded chicken, celery, mayonnaise, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
  4. Mix until throughly combined. 
  5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Helpful Tools

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp kitchen knife
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoon
  • 2 forks for shredding the chicken
  • Vegetable peeler (See Top Tip)

Top Tip

Celery strings can be a little tough and chewy sometimes and it is best to remove them. Use a vegetable peeler to lightly peel off the strings.

Ingredients 

Cooked Chicken Breasts - Tender white breast meat is the best. Leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect for this recipe. Canned chicken and leftover baked chicken including dark meat works.

Mayonnaise - I'm a huge Duke's Mayo lover! I love it's tanginess and the fact that it has no sugar in it. I've been a fan of it for more than 20 years. However, any good mayonnaise is fine.

Celery - You want the raw celery to be fresh. It adds so much flavor to this crunchy salad recipe.

Sea Salt -  Adding salt is completely optional. I have a family member that has to watch her sodium intake so I'm usually very light handed when adding salt. If you do choose to add it, any salt without iodine is best to use.

Fresh Ground Pepper - fresh pepper is definitely more flavorful than pre ground pepper. It adds a bit of savor to the salad.

  • There are many styles and variations of chicken salad.
  • Zoe's chicken salad is wickedly good but if you ever want to switch it up a little, do so by adding ingredients like: halved seedless grapes, pecan pieces, dried cranberries, dill pickles, or a bit of fresh dill.
  • Add a chopped hard boiled egg and sweet relish to the chicken salad to create a more southern style recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Make Chicken Salad Ahead?

Yes, you can! Chicken salad can be made one to two days before serving.

What Is The Best Way To Store Chicken Salad?

Store any leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?

You can freeze chicken salad in a plastic zipper bag or an air tight container for up to three months.


© Laura @ Join me in the Kitchen
Cuisine: American / Category: Chicken
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