Cucumber Chicken Salad
Looking for a quick lunch to pack or on-the-go snack, this Cucumber Chicken Salad will be a winner! Made with less than 10 ingredients, it’s the best meal prep recipe for a nutritious meal throughout the week.
This Cucumber Chicken Salad is an 8 ingredient recipe that’s perfect for meal prepping for lunch and dinner throughout the week. I’m famous for my chicken salads, and for good reason, they’re so quick to assemble and have so much fresh flavor.
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Our lives can get really busy with work, school, sports, and activities, but having snack or meal options that can be packed, ready-to-go and enjoyed together keeps everyone full and happy all day long! If you love a chicken salad recipe, my Savory Chicken Salad and Southern Chicken Salad are two others for you to try.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- Great for lunch, dinner, or as a snack. Serve it with crackers, veggies, as a sandwich, or on top of a salad. It’s super versatile!
- Full of Flavor and Texture: Tender chicken, creamy mayonnaise, crunchy cucumber, and sweet grapes make this the ultimate flavor and texture bomb in every bite.
- Make in advance: Not only is this salad super quick and easy to make, but it can be made in advance. And it actually gets better after it sits for a while!
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Mayonnaise: Creamy base for the salad.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds more tang and bright flavor,.
- Salt/Black Pepper/Sugar: Season to taste as you desire.
- Cucumbers: Refreshing with every bite.
- Red Onion: Bright acid flavor in each bite.
- Fresh Dill: Adds nice freshness in every bite.
- Cooked Chicken: Make my homemade noted under Expert Tips below or use leftover or rotisserie chicken for ease.
- Green Grapes: Juicy and a little bit of fruitiness that pairs well with the chicken salad.
- Pecans: Adds nuttiness and crunch.
- Options for Serving: Cucumber slices, crackers, or scooped on light bread or a croissant.
Tools You’ll Need
How to Make Cucumber Chicken Salad
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the red onion, cucumber, dill and chicken and mix with a hand mixer to combine.
- Fold in the grapes, and pecans until evenly coated in the dressing.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, or sugar as needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with cucumber slices, crackers, light bread, croissants, or lettuce cups, as desired.
Expert Tips
- Walnuts or almonds can substitute pecans. Nuts can also be omitted.
- Swap out the red onion if you aren’t a fan. Green onions can substitute red onion.
- Get creative with the flavors by adding different fresh or dried herbs such as parsley, fresh basil, dried curry, or garlic.
- Sugar or sugar substitute can be used if desired.
- Regular or light mayonnaise both work in this dish. You can even use greek yogurt for an even lighter alternative.
- For easy mixing of this salad, use your hand mixer! It shreds the chicken to the perfect consistency.
- Poach or boil your chicken for the most tender, juicy results. Place 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Season with salt and pepper or seasoning salt as desired. Turn the heat to medium-high just until the water begins to steam and shimmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Poaching is a gentle cooking method that should take place between 160°F and 180°F, where the water merely shimmers or has tiny, occasional bubbles. Never let it come to a rolling boil. Cook 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. This will yield about 1 pound cooked chicken. Pull into smaller chunks and cool before assembling the chicken salad.
- Be sure to chill the chicken salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to marinate nicely so every bite is delicious.
Storage
Store chicken salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 5 days. If the chicken salad is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, discard it. If your chicken is on the drier side, add a little more mayonnaise and stir.
It is not recommended to freeze and thaw chicken salad, as the texture will change.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can either substitute the pecans with a different nut or omit them completely.
Yes, my recipe does not contain any gluten containing ingredients? Ensure your brands of products are gluten-free by reading the nutrition label. Also, serve with gluten-free crackers.
It’s best if the chicken salad is serve in a pre-chilled dish. The FDA guidelines state that chicken salad should not sit at room temperature for longer than two hours. If the temperature is above 90°F, the chicken salad should be refrigerated after only one hour.
Other Chicken Salad Recipes
Cucumber Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise light or regular
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard optional
- Salt/Black Pepper/Sugar to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 pound cooked shredded chicken about 3 cups
- 1 cup quartered green grapes or more if desired
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- Optional for serving: cucumber slices, crackers, light bread, croissants, lettuce cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the red onion, cucumber, dill and chicken and mix with a hand mixer to combine.
- Fold in the grapes, and pecans until evenly coated in the dressing.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, or sugar as needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with cucumber slices, crackers, light bread, croissants, or lettuce cups, as desired.
Notes
Tips
- Walnuts or almonds can substitute pecans. Nuts can also be omitted.
- Swap out the red onion if you aren’t a fan. Green onions can substitute red onion.
- Get creative with the flavors by adding different fresh or dried herbs such as parsley, fresh basil, dried curry, or garlic.
- Sugar or sugar substitute can be used if desired.
- Regular or light mayonnaise both work in this dish. You can even use greek yogurt for an even lighter alternative.
- For easy mixing of this salad, use your hand mixer! It shreds the chicken to the perfect consistency.
- Poach or boil your chicken for the most tender, juicy results. Place 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. This will yield about 1 pound cooked. Turn the heat to medium-high just until the water begins to steam and shimmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Shred and cool before assembling the chicken salad.
- Be sure to chill the chicken salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to marinate nicely so every bite is delicious.
Storage
Store chicken salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 5 days. If the chicken salad is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, discard it. If your chicken is on the drier side, add a little more mayonnaise and stir. It is not recommended to freeze and thaw chicken salad, as the texture will change.Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
This chicken salad is a GREAT option for the big GAME. We always have friends who appreciate a low-carb option and this app fits right in! Love the idea to serve them with crisp Persian cucumbers too! My rotisserie chicken from Costco will be perfect for this recipe! Thanks Laura! 🙂
OH YES! That’ll be perfect for it! I know it’ll be a BIG hit! THANK YOU for making it and liking it so much!
This is one of our favorite chicken salads, my family isn’t pickle fans, but love cucumbers (go figure) and so we love this crunchy addition!
Well this is just FANTASTIC!! I’m so happy you made it and that it was such a hit with you and your family!!