I am not a big fan of rotisserie chicken by itself, but there are so many different ways that you can use it to spice it up. It is also a basic staple for easy meal prep. One of my favorite ways to use it is by making chicken salad. Just a warning, this recipe doesn’t have any measurements because I don’t measure–I just look and see what looks good. I might add different ingredients each time as well. If there is anything extra you want to add to it or substitute with something else, it will more than likely taste good.
I start with a rotisserie chicken. I prefer to clean the chicken when it is room temperature but you can do it when the chicken is cold too. I use a large container or bowl and pick off the chicken from the bones making sure to put the fat and skin into the trash can or trash pile.
Next, I chop up my celery and carrots. I use a food processor and about ten baby carrots and two stalks of celery. This is where you have the opportunity to change up the recipe. If you want more celery and less carrot go for it. I know that I prefer more carrot and less celery. You can also add fresh onion to your chicken salad. If you plan on doing that, I would also do it at this stage.
After the veggies are combined and chopped for the most part I add the dry spices to the food processor. Lately, I have been using rosemary, parsley, and everything seasoning. Before I got the everything seasoning I was putting in onion powder, onion flakes, garlic powder, and a tiny bit of salt and pepper. You want to add your spices before you are done chopping the veggies completely because you want your spices to be chopped up finer and for the flavors to be incorporated into the veggie mixture.
When the veggies are chopped up into fine pieces and the spices are well incorporated, you can take the veggie-spice mixture and add it to the chicken. The next step is to add in the wet ingredients. This is another place where you can be creative. I recently started using ranch dressing and mayonnaise, but before I was only using mayonnaise. I have also used caesar dressing. My one suggestion is this: if you plan on using dressing and mayonnaise, don’t add salt when you are adding your spices.
Once you have added your mayo and/or ranch you can mix it all up and stop there. You can also add almonds, pecans, or dried cranberries for extra flavor and crunch. Normally, I add dried cranberries because it adds a nice sweetness to the dish as well as a great pop of color.
Typically this is best consumed within 3-5 days of making it. In my house, it doesn’t last more than 3 days. You may also find that it needs more mayonnaise or ranch. Feel free to add it. The chicken absorbs the moisture and so do the dried cranberries. Also pro-tip, it always tastes the best on the second or third day because it has had a chance to absorb all of the different flavors.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
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Rotisserie Chicken
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Carrots
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Celery
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Rosemary
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Parsely
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Everything seasoning
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Ranch or Caesar Dressing
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Mayonnaise
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Cranberries, Almonds, Pecans
Or
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Rotisserie Chicken
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Carrots
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Celery
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Rosemary
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Parsely
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Onion Powder
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Crushed Onion Flakes
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Ranch or Caesar Dressing
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Mayonnaise
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Cranberries, Almonds, Pecans