I never enjoyed chicken salad until I started working at a deli in my early 20s. It quickly became a lunch staple for me, even though I had so many other sandwich options at my fingertips.
Nowadays, I usually get my chicken salad fix at home when I have leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken. However, I wanted to see if I could find something worthwhile at the supermarket to enter my lunch rotation.
So, I visited four major supermarket chains — Costco, Trader Joes, Wegmans, and Whole Foods — and bought premade chicken salad at each one.
I taste-tested all four with some crackers and ranked them from worst to first. Heres how they stacked up.
Chicken salad is a classic American dish that has been around for over 200 years. It’s made by combining shredded chicken mayonnaise or a similar creamy dressing and then adding in any number of mix-ins like fruits, nuts, vegetables, eggs, and more. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the best chicken salad recipes! With so many varieties to choose from, you may be wondering – who really makes the best chicken salad? Here’s a look at some top picks from restaurants and grocery stores.
Top Chicken Salads from Restaurant Chains
Many restaurant chains have stepped up their chicken salad game and offer creative tasty options on their menus. Here are some customer favorites
Lenny’s Grill & Subs
This southern chain is consistently praised for its creamy, flavorful chicken salad served on subs or as a scoop Customers love the generous chicken chunks and mellow provolone cheese pairing The salad is made in-house with premium chicken. It has a homemade taste that keeps customers coming back.
Jason’s Deli
Shelley’s Deli Chick is the name of the unique chicken salad sandwich that Jason’s Deli serves. Almonds and pineapple give it a tropical taste. The creamy base is flecked with crunchy veg like celery. It comes on a toasted croissant with tomato and lettuce. It’s an innovative riff on classic chicken salad flavors.
Potbelly
Potbelly’s chicken salad sandwich gets high marks for its peppery flavor and abundance of chunky chicken pieces. The chicken tastes fresh, not processed. And you can customize your toppings. Try it with provolone cheese for added richness. Overall it’s a satisfying meal with quality ingredients.
Newk’s Eatery
Lots of tasty add-ins, like pecans, red onions, and grapes, are in Newk’s chicken salad recipe. The texture is just right because the amount of chicken to mayo is just right. And the chicken itself is noticeably fresh and tender. You should look for this chicken salad because Newk’s doesn’t skimp on the ingredients.
Grocery Store Favorites
You don’t have to go out to eat to enjoy tasty chicken salad. Delis in grocery stores also sell easy, ready-to-eat meals that you can enjoy at home. The following are some of the best chicken salads in the deli case:
Great Value Southern Style Chicken Salad (Walmart)
The taste and texture of this Walmart deli salad are just right. It is a little sweet, creamy, crunchy, and full of juicy shredded chicken. Adding hard-boiled eggs and crispy chicken skins makes it taste even better. It’s a chicken salad masterpiece.
Kirkland Signature Chicken Salad (Costco)
Costco’s take uses moist, tender rotisserie chicken meat. You can taste the signature flavors of Costco’s rotisserie chicken, like savory herbs and crispy chicken skin bits, in every bite. The creamy dressing has the ideal consistency too. It’s an excellent option for chicken salad fans.
Sprouts Chicken Salad
This chicken salad keeps it simple but very fresh tasting. The dressing is used sparingly to let the flavor of the chicken shine. And you get a nice crunch from the abundance of celery, carrots, and green onions mixed in. The clean flavor profile makes it an ideal choice.
Publix Classic Chicken Salad
Publix is known for quality chicken, and it shows in their classic chicken salad. It has a tangy, homemade flavor with crunchy bits of celery and pickle relish in every bite. And the chicken itself is moist and tender. Overall, it’s a great traditional chicken salad recipe.
So who really does chicken salad best? There are lots of strong contenders from both restaurants and grocery store delis. Lenny’s Grill & Subs seems to edge out the competition when it comes to restaurant chains praised for excellent chicken salad. And for grocery stores, Walmart’s Great Value Southern Style Chicken Salad is hard to beat. But chicken salad is so customizable, you’re sure to find a version that perfectly suits your tastes no matter where you get it! The possibilities are endless.
Trader Joe’s Wine Country chicken salad was too sweet for me.
Across multiple visits to three separate Trader Joes in my area, the closest option I found to the others on this list was the Wine Country chicken salad. However, it differed slightly from the others as it incorporated sweetened dried cranberries and pecans.
I first thought that might give it an unfair edge in the ranking because I like chicken salad with dried cranberries. The $5 price also seemed like a good deal for a 12-ounce container.
However, this chicken salad was way too sweet for my taste and not quite hearty enough. There were certainly more gooey bits than chunks of chicken, and the cranberries tasted like candy.
Overall, I thought this tasted more like a salad dressing than a deli salad.
Costco’s chicken salad was just OK.
I found the Kirkland Signature chicken salad in Costcos prepared foods section. It was priced at $6 a pound, making it the least-expensive option I tried on a per-pound basis. The container I picked up contained about 2 pounds of chicken salad.
There were by far the biggest pieces of chicken in this salad, but it was so greasy that it looked like it was shining.
I also thought it was bland in terms of flavor. However, since I was already familiar with the Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken, the briny, brothy flavor of the meat was easy to pick out.
There was celery in the mix, but it added more flavor than texture; ideally, Id prefer that reversed.
The chicken salad was fine but not especially good, and its hard to imagine a situation in which Id want two pounds of it.
The Best Chicken Salad I’ve ever eaten | Family recipe with Mom B (Kelly Bates)
FAQ
Is chicken salad actually healthy?
Definitely — chicken salad is full of lean proteins, minerals, and vitamins. It is low in sugar, carbs, and fiber while high in protein. Therefore, this low-calorie salad is good for your health.
Does Panera bread have chicken salad?
Yes, Panera Bread does offer chicken salad. Specifically, they have a Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad sandwich, and a Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad. They also have a Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, and several other salads that include chicken.
What is the ultimate healthy chicken salad?
To make this Ultimate Healthy Chicken Salad, you will need cooked and shredded chicken, celery, red onion, grapes, parsley, sliced almonds, greek yogurt, lemon, dijon mustard, sea salt and crackers. Gather all the ingredients and put them in a large bowl. Then, add the lemon juice on top of them.
What is the secret to good chicken salad?
Full-fat Greek yogurt, lemon, and Dijon mustard are all acidic foods that will help keep things rich but light and bright. Mix-Ins: In my book, the only mandatory add-ins for chicken salad are celery for crunch, some kind of onion (I like red for the pop of color), and leafy herbs (I <3 dill and parsley).