Do you have some leftover cooked chicken and are thinking of whipping up a quick and easy chicken salad for lunch? Does every recipe you find for it include ingredients you either don’t have or don’t want to put in your salad like celery, grapes or eggs?.
Chicken salad is an easy way to use up leftover chicken and it is quick to throw together and makes for an excellent lunch. Nothing tastes better than a tasty salad that doesn’t take any work at all, whether it’s on toast or in a sandwich. Chef
The Best Substitutes for Celery in Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is a classic dish that many people enjoy, but what do you do when you want to make it and don’t have any celery? As a key ingredient that adds crunch and freshness, celery can seem indispensable for chicken salad. However, there are plenty of great substitutes you can use instead! In this article, we’ll explore some of the best options for replacing celery in chicken salad recipes.
Why Use A Substitute?
There are a few reasons you may need or want to use a celery substitute:
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You don’t have any celery on hand. Celery has a short fridge life, so you may not always have it when a chicken salad craving hits.
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You want to change up the flavors. Since celery gives chicken salad a lot of its own flavor, switching it out lets you make something new.
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Dietary restrictions. Some people can’t or prefer not to eat celery due to food sensitivities.
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Just for fun! Experimenting with different ingredients can result in exciting new combinations and tastes.
The Key Functions of Celery
If you need to find a replacement, it helps to know what celery does in chicken salad:
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Crunch: One thing that makes celery stand out is its crisp, juicy texture. Any sub needs to add that delightful crunch.
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Moisture – The water in celery helps bind the chicken salad and gives it some juiciness.
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Fresh, grassy flavor – Celery has a clean, bright taste that pairs well with chicken.
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Low calories—Celery has very few calories, so adding subs with more calories changes the nutrition facts.
With those factors in mind, let’s look at some stellar celery stand-ins!
Crunchy Vegetable Swaps
The vegetables below can all provide crunch and freshness to chicken salad:
Cucumbers – With high water content and snappy bite, cucumber is one of the best matches for celery’s texture. Peel, seed and dice it.
Bell peppers – For sweetness and crunch, dice up crunchy peppers. Red, yellow, orange or green all work.
Jicama – This Mexican tuber has a crisp, juicy crunch similar to celery. Peel and cut into small dice.
Carrots – Shredded or diced raw carrots add sweetness and bite to chicken salad.
Radishes – These have a peppery bite and satisfying crunch when sliced thinly or chopped.
Fennel – The licorice-like flavor is a nice twist. Thinly slice the crisp bulb.
Celery root – Dice up this knobby root for all the celery flavor without the leaves.
Green beans – Quick-blanched whole beans or sliced “French cut” style add texture.
Broccoli stems – Usually discarded, the stems have a sweet, mild snap. Slice them up.
Cabbage – Shredded cabbage packs crunchy hydration into chicken salad. Red or green both work.
Fruity Options
Fruits can also be used to provide crispness, moisture and bright flavors:
Apples – Choose tart, crunchy varieties like Granny Smith. Dice small to retain texture.
Asian pear – The extra juicy crispness of pear is a great match for chicken salad.
Grapes – Halved seedless grapes add bursts of sweetness and texture.
Pomegranate – Toss in fresh seeds for pops of juicy tartness.
Persimmon – Dice firm, crisp fuyu persimmons for a sweet addition.
Jicama, apple, and bell pepper combo – Mixing fruits and veggies can provide variations in flavors and textures.
Crunchy Seeds and Nuts
Nuts and seeds give you crunch without produce:
Almonds – Slivered or chopped almonds add nutty crunch. Toast lightly for extra flavor.
Walnuts – Toasted walnut pieces pair perfectly with chicken salad.
Pecans – Chopped, toasted pecans are a Southern take on chicken salad.
Pine nuts – Their soft crunch works well in chicken salad. Toast to bring out flavors.
Pepitas – Also known as pumpkin seeds, toasted pepitas add a satisfying pop.
Sunflower seeds – Incorporate some crunchy, nutty sunflower seeds.
Peanuts – Finely chop dry-roasted peanuts for a crunchy, protein-packed sub.
Sesame seeds – Toasted black or white sesame seeds impart delicious flavor.
Poppy seeds – Tiny crunchy poppy seeds blend in seamlessly.
Pistachios – Chopped pistachios pair beautifully with chicken’s flavors.
Bean and Legume Options
Beans can stand in for celery’s texture in vegetarian/vegan chicken salads:
Chickpeas – Drain and rinse canned chickpeas. Their dense bite resembles celery.
Lentils – Cooked green or black lentils have a pleasant resistance when bitten.
Edamame – Blanched and chilled soybeans work for plant-based chicken salads.
Green peas – Frozen peas lend pops of sweetness and healthy crunch.
Bean sprouts – Crunchy, fresh sprouts are tasty in chicken salads.
Additional Flavor Boosters
Don’t forget seasonings and accents that complement chicken salad:
Onion – Minced onions or shallots lend flavor.
Pickle relish – A spoonful adds great tang.
Dried cranberries or cherries – Their sweet/tart chewiness is delicious.
Curry powder or dill – Add extra spice and herbaceousness.
Lemon or lime juice – Brightens all the flavors.
Mustard – Adds tang; dressings like honey mustard work too.
Mayo or Greek yogurt – The creamy binder is key for moisture and richness.
Salt and pepper – Season to taste to accentuate all ingredients.
The beauty of chicken salad is that it’s highly adaptable simply by varying a few ingredients. With so many options for achieving crunch and flavor sans celery, you can create all sorts of tasty combinations. Whether you prefer produce, nuts and seeds, or even beans, there are diverse choices for delicious celery-free chicken salads. Get creative with the ingredients you have and enjoy the flavors!
How to Make Chicken Salad Without Celery
Making this recipe couldn’t be easier. In total it will take you about five minutes and you will be all set for lunches for a couple of days, at least, much like my tuna salad recipe (that also doesn’t call for celery!).
First off, you need to start with shredding your chicken. If you still have cooked chicken on hand, that’s great. If not, I suggest poaching some chicken breasts (my satsivi recipe shows you how to do that).
Many recipes will recommend shredding chicken with two forks but I actually find it much easier and quicker simply to do it by hand. Several times with my knife, I make the chicken pieces really small after I’m done shredding it. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl.
Now, you need to finely dice half of a red onion. I recommend using red onion here because it’s sweeter and milder than a yellow onion and, therefore, a bit more pleasant to eat raw.
If you don’t have a red onion, go ahead and use a yellow onion, your chicken salad will still be good. If you want, you can even use some green onions instead, if that’s what you have on hand. This recipe is meant to be more of a guideline rather than something you need to follow to the absolute letter.
Next, finely dice a small red pepper. If you’re not going to be using celery in this chicken salad, you probably do want something with a bit more texture and flavour and a red pepper works wonderfully in this.
Next, chop a bit of parsley to add a vegetal and herbal note to the salad — dill is also a great alternative if you have it on hand! Add all of these to the bowl with the chicken!.
Now, all you have to do is add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise to the bowl. Put this in with a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar to make it a little more acidic and bright. If you want to make a chicken salad without fruit, a mild apple flavor works well in this dish.
I also say to add a bit of whole-grain mustard to the mix, but if you don’t have it, dijon mustard will do fine in a pinch. I would avoid yellow mustard or English mustard as the flavours aren’t quite right.
And finally, add a few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce for a bit of heat. All that you need to do now is add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste and mix it all to combine.
Make sure to taste everything to see how it works together and more of any of the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, tabasco salt or pepper if you need to. It’s always best to be conservative when you start and taste to adjust to get your salad just right.
All that’s left now is to eat! This chicken salad is great on a piece of toast or as a sandwich. It will also keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days so it’s perfect if you’re meal-prepping your lunches for the week!
Chicken Salad Recipe Without Celery | 2 Easy and Healthy Recipes
FAQ
What can I use instead of celery for chicken salad?
If you want to use something else that will give the bite the same crunch, you can use diced bell pepper, crunchy pickles, red onion or shallot, or scallion whites. sometimes I also use the stalks of chard or bok choy.
What is a good substitute for celery in a salad?
When you don’t have celery, jicama, fennel stalks, apple, cucumber, celery salt, celery seeds, and green bell pepper are all great alternatives.
Why celery in chicken salad?
Most chicken salad recipes include some chopped celery, which adds necessary crunch and a fresh, herbal flavor. With the celery salt, the celery really stands out, and the zest and brightness of the salty celery cut through the heavy mayonnaise.
What spice is a substitute for celery?
In cooked dishes, you can substitute Celeriac, Fennel, Anise, Lovage (careful it’s a strong celery like flavor), Parsley, Cardoon, and Celery seed.