Classic Chicken Salad – Southern Style

This is that old-school Southern-style chicken salad—the kind without grapes, nuts, or extras… just pure, simple goodness like we’ve made for generations. It’s one of the most requested dishes when I cater events, and it’s perfect for beach trips, family gatherings, potlucks, or holiday spreads.

I use four chicken breasts, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then baked at 350°F until tender. My oven runs a little slow, so it took about an hour. I don’t like stringy chicken in my salad, so I make sure it’s cooked through and easy to chop fine.

I also boil four eggs, then finely chop four celery stalks and half a red onion—I use a food processor to get them really small. Those get mixed with 3/4 cup sweet relish, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.

Once the chicken is done, I chop it into small pieces—either by hand with a meat cleaver or in the food processor (and yes, I mistakenly said mallet in the video—oops!). I add the chopped chicken to the rest of the ingredients, then mix in 1 cup of mayo, a little at a time. If the mixture feels too dry, I use a bit of that leftover chicken broth instead of more mayo—it’s all about preference.

This is Southern comfort in a bowl—and it only gets better after a few hours in the fridge.

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This is real southernstyle chicken salad. No grapes, no nuts, just the old school kind we grew up on. I’m baking the chicken for extra flavor, but boiling works, too. Simple, creamy, and full of tradition. Welcome to New South Table. I’m Melissa and I’m glad you’re here. My Carolina roots run deep from farm life to church suppers. I cook bold and simple just like the southern women before me. Now I’m sharing it from the beautiful South Carolina coast. Hit subscribe and pull up a seat. I’ve lined a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Here I’m using four chicken breast. It’s about 3 lbs of chicken. I’m drizzling them with olive oil and seasoning each side with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. We’re going to cover this with foil very tightly. and bake in a preheated oven at 350° for about 1 hour or until the breasts are done. While the chicken is cooking, boil four eggs. Once they’re done, you’ll peel them and chop them. You’ll need four to five stalks of celery that’s been washed along with one half of a red onion. I’ll be using a food processor to chop these into tiny pieces. Once they’re chopped, you’ll add them to a large bowl along with 34 cup of sweet relish. Then I’m going to add 1/2 of a teaspoon of celery salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper along with the chopped boiled eggs. This is what the chicken should look like. Notice there’s quite a bit of broth left in the pan. You’ll reserve this for later. Now, chop the chicken into very small pieces. I’m using a meat mallet here. You could also use the food processor, but if you do, just make sure you don’t chop it up too much. Now, we’re just going to add the chicken to the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl. This is what it should look like. Now, we’re going to add in one cup of mayonnaise. Now, I’m a southern girl, so you can guess what kind of mayonnaise I’m using, but add just a little at a time. Stir it up well. And this is where the extra broth will come in. If the mixture seems a little dry, I always add a couple of tablespoons of the broth instead of adding extra mayonnaise. That’s totally up to you. I just like to be able to taste the chicken instead of loading it down with mayo. That is a personal preference, but it does make all the difference. It’s a trick I learned when I was catering. Once you have everything mixed well, you’ve got to give this a try. This is one of my family’s favorite recipes, and it’s certainly one of the most requested from New South Table for holiday gatherings, beach trips, and bridal or baby showers. We hope you like it just as much as we do. Enjoy. See you next time.