Have you ever found yourself standing in your kitchen craving a delicious chicken salad sandwich but don’t want to make it from scratch? Or maybe you’re out running errands and need a quick lunch that won’t leave you feeling sluggish? Well, I’ve been on a mission to find who truly has the best chicken salad, and let me tell you – this journey has been both delicious and eye-opening!
Whether you prefer dining out at restaurant chains or grabbing a pre-made container from your local grocery store, I’ve got you covered. After tasting way too many chicken salads (my waistline is not thanking me), I’m excited to share my findings with you. Let’s dive into the world of creamy, chunky, sweet, and savory chicken salads to determine the ultimate champion!
Restaurant Chains with Mouthwatering Chicken Salad
When it comes to eating out, several restaurant chains have made names for themselves with their unique chicken salad recipes. Here are the standouts
Chicken Salad Chick – The Specialist
If you live in the South or Midwest, you’re probably familiar with Chicken Salad Chick. This fast-casual restaurant specializes in – you guessed it – chicken salad! With 12 different flavors to choose from, there’s something for everyone
Their top-rated options include:
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Kickin’ Kay Lynne – The ultimate flavor explosion with buffalo sauce, ranch, bacon, cheddar cheese, jalapeños, and sriracha. It’s their most complex and beloved flavor.
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Olivia’s Old South – A traditional recipe with sweet pickles and eggs that tastes like grandma’s homemade version.
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Lauryn’s Lemon Basil – A sophisticated option featuring fresh basil, lemon, and chopped pecans for a refreshing twist.
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Jalapeno Holly – Perfect for spice lovers with just enough heat to be interesting without overwhelming your tastebuds.
What makes Chicken Salad Chick special is their dedication to creating unique flavor profiles while maintaining that homemade quality we all crave.
Panera Bread – The Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich
Panera’s Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich has developed quite a following, and for good reason! This sandwich features chicken raised without antibiotics mixed with a special dressing, diced celery, toasted almonds, and sliced red grapes.
The chicken salad is served on their country rustic sourdough bread with tomatoes and mixed greens. At 640 calories per sandwich, it’s a satisfying meal that won’t completely derail your diet.
Honey Baked Ham Company – The Croissant Delight
Known primarily for their hams, Honey Baked Ham Company also serves up a chicken salad sandwich that’s worth talking about. Their freshly made chicken salad is served on a buttery croissant with lettuce and tomato.
It’s so popular that it was featured in a Louisiana newspaper that called it “the chicken salad sandwich you’ll be telling all your coworkers about.” At 560 calories, it’s a bit indulgent but absolutely worth it for a special lunch treat.
Au Bon Pain – The Cranberry Almond Option
With around 200 locations nationwide, Au Bon Pain offers a chicken salad that combines chicken, cranberries, and toasted almonds mixed with mayo. Their chicken salad scoop is served with grape tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette atop field greens for a lighter option at just 280 calories.
Pret a Manger – The Avocado Addition
Pret’s Chicken Salad & Avo Sandwich takes a different approach by placing their chicken salad (made with antibiotic-free grilled chicken, cage-free mayonnaise, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and whole grain mustard-mayo) on multigrain bread with sliced avocado and mesclun greens. The avocado adds a creamy element that complements the chicken salad beautifully.
Arby’s – The Pecan Surprise
Though it has limited availability, Arby’s pecan chicken salad sandwich has developed a cult following. This sandwich features diced chicken, pecans, apples, celery, and red grapes. It’s so popular that countless copycat recipes have popped up online from fans trying to recreate it at home.
Jason’s Deli – The Health-Conscious Choice
Jason’s Deli prides itself on wholesome ingredients free from processed MSG, artificial trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, dyes, and artificial colors and flavors. Their chicken salad with almonds and pineapple brings a tropical twist to the classic. You can order it as a scoop or build your own sandwich with it.
Best Store-Bought Chicken Salads
Don’t have time to dine out? No worries! Many grocery stores offer excellent pre-made chicken salads that you can grab and go:
Great Value (Walmart) – The Surprising Champion
Who would’ve thought that Walmart would be the king of chicken salad? Their Great Value Southern-Style Chicken Salad received a perfect 10/10 score from Sporked taste testers. What makes it special? It’s perfectly balanced with salt, slight sweetness, plenty of crunch, tons of shredded chicken, and even some hard-boiled egg in the mix.
Walmart actually offers several excellent chicken salad options:
- Great Value Southern-Style Chicken Salad – The overall winner
- Great Value Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Salad – Savory and creamy
- Great Value Chicken Salad With Cranberries, Celery & Pecans – Sweet but balanced
Publix – The Southern Specialty
If you’re lucky enough to live in the South, Publix deli’s chicken salads are not to be missed:
- Hot Honey Chicken Salad (limited time) – Combines savory chicken, crunchy pickle, and spicy-sweet hot honey for an incredible flavor combination
- Classic Chicken Breast Salad – Features crisp celery and pickle relish in every bite
- Chunky Chicken Salad – Features big, tender chunks of Publix’s famous chicken
Sprouts – The Fresher Option
Sprouts’ deli chicken salad stands out for its emphasis on fresh ingredients and lighter dressing:
- Sprouts Chicken Salad – Features crisp veggies like carrots, green onions, and celery with a light mayo dressing
- Sprouts Curry Chicken Salad – A unique option with curry spices, mango-chutney dressing, raisins, bell peppers, carrots, and green onions
Costco and Sam’s Club – The Bulk Options
For feeding a crowd (or just meal prepping for the week):
- Kirkland Signature Chicken Salad Made with Rotisserie Chicken (Costco) – Tastes exactly like their famous rotisserie chicken with crispy chicken skins and savory herbs
- Member’s Mark Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad (Sam’s Club) – Features a creamy, sweet mayo base with pecans and cranberries for texture and tartness
Trader Joe’s – The Savory Selection
Trader Joe’s Homestyle Chicken Salad stands out for being super savory with no sweetness. It contains pieces of carrot and is really creamy with a nice black pepper kick.
What Makes a Great Chicken Salad?
After tasting dozens of chicken salads, I’ve identified the key elements that separate the good from the great:
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Balance – The best chicken salads have the perfect balance of creaminess, crunch, savory, and sweet elements
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Quality Chicken – Tender, well-seasoned chicken makes all the difference
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Texture Contrast – A mix of ingredients that provide different textures (crunchy celery, creamy mayo, tender chicken)
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Flavorful Add-ins – Whether it’s fruit, nuts, herbs, or spices, the additional ingredients should complement the chicken, not overpower it
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Proper Binding – Just enough mayo to hold everything together without drowning the other ingredients
My Personal Favorites
If I had to pick my top three chicken salads from everything I’ve tasted:
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Great Value Southern-Style Chicken Salad (Walmart) – Who knew Walmart would be the chicken salad champion? It’s perfectly balanced and has incredible flavor.
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Publix Hot Honey Chicken Salad – When available, this limited-time flavor is absolutely worth seeking out. The combination of spicy, sweet, and savory is unbeatable.
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Chicken Salad Chick’s Kickin’ Kay Lynne – When I want a chicken salad with a kick, this spicy, flavor-packed option hits all the right notes.
Final Thoughts
So who really has the best chicken salad? The answer depends on what you’re looking for:
- Best Restaurant Chain Chicken Salad: Chicken Salad Chick (specifically their Kickin’ Kay Lynne flavor)
- Best Grocery Store Chicken Salad: Great Value Southern-Style from Walmart
- Best for Health-Conscious Eaters: Sprouts Chicken Salad
- Best for Feeding a Crowd: Member’s Mark Cranberry Pecan from Sam’s Club
- Most Unique Flavor: Publix Hot Honey Chicken Salad
The good news is that with so many excellent options available, you’re never far from a delicious chicken salad experience. Whether you’re grabbing lunch at a restaurant or picking up a container from your local grocery store, these chicken salads are sure to satisfy your cravings.
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.
The salad had the biggest chunks of chicken of any I tried by far, but it practically shimmered with grease.
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.
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.
At first, I thought that might give it an unfair advantage in the ranking, since I normally enjoy a 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. It seemed like there was a lot more goopy liquid than chunks of chicken, and the cranberries tasted like candy.
Overall, I thought this tasted more like a salad dressing than a deli salad.
The Best Chicken Salad I’ve ever eaten | Family recipe with Mom B (Kelly Bates)
FAQ
Is Costco chicken salad any good?
Costco’s chicken salad was just OK.
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. The salad had the biggest chunks of chicken of any I tried by far, but it practically shimmered with grease.
Who has the best ready-made salads?
- Eat Smart Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit.
- Little Salad Bar Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit. …
- Fresh Express Pesto Caesar Twisted Caesar Chopped Salad Kit. …
- Fresh Express Kickin’ Bacon Ranch Chopped Kit. …
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Spicy Sriracha Ranch Chopped Salad Kit. …
Does Chick-fil-A still have their chicken salad sandwich?
Chicken Salad was previously available on the menu at participating Chick-fil-A® restaurants nationwide. Even though it’s no longer on the menu, we’d like to offer the recipe so you can make it in your own kitchen. Learn how to make more of your favorite Chick-fil-A dishes by visiting our Recipes page.