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Need a quick recipe to serve a group? Try easy canned chicken salad for a crowd. Costco canned chicken, celery, pickles, and a creamy sauce make the perfect finger sandwiches. Your guests will gobble them down. Party time is here! Get yourself ready for potlucks, pool parties, and serving enough food to feed an army. If you really want to wow your friends and family this summer, you will love this easy canned chicken salad for a crowd. Chicken salad on a croissant is the most popular way to serve this sandwich for a crowd.This is the best chicken salad recipe. You will be the belle of the barbecue, with plenty of people asking for the recipe. You know where to send them, right? (Here! The answer is here, friend!)
Salad IngredientsSimple ingredients for an easy chicken salad recipe.A traditional chicken salad has simple ingredients. That is why it is such a great thing to serve a crowd. Here’s what’s inside: Shredded ChickenWhen you are preparing the salad for a party, make your life easier. Use canned chicken. Costco canned chicken is the only brand I recommend. One can yields just over 1 cup of chicken each. Canned chicken is effortless. The only downside is that it costs more than cooking chicken yourself. Cooking chicken in a crockpot is a cost-effective alternative. But Costco canned chicken is much easier (and faster) to make in large batches for a hungry crowd. You’ll need two cans for a family-size serving. Pro Tip: If you are making this salad for a weeknight family dinner, it is a great recipe to use up leftover chicken. Any type of chicken works. Light meat, dark meat. Rotisserie chicken, leftover roast chicken. If you can shred it or cut it into chunks, use it. CeleryCrunchy celery adds a nice crisp texture to the salad while boosting the fiber content. I promise nobody will complain about this flavorful addition. Cuz every classic chicken salad recipe has celery. For a family-size serving, you’ll need to dice two stalks, which equals about one cup. Green OnionsOnions get a bad rap. They bring home chefs to tears, but they take a chicken salad from basic to BAM! Red onion is delicious, but green onions provide flavor with hardly any kick. They are better when serving a large group that may be onion picky. The DressingA creamy mixture of ½ cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip), 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper is all you need for the tangy dressing. Throw in some fresh dill if you want, and you have got yourself a crowd-pleaser. You can replace some mayo with sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt if you like. Optional AdditionCrumbled bacon really kicks this chicken salad recipe up a notch. It’s a great addition, but it’s not required!
Chicken Salad Ingredients for Small Crowds
How Much Chicken Salad Per Person?Save yourself time and let guests serve themselves.You can serve chicken salad as an entrée or as an appetizer. To serve this potluck favorite sandwich style, plan on ⅓ cup of chicken salad per sandwich. It will go twice as far if you serve it on mini croissants. Or if you make finger sandwiches. A family-size recipe will feed roughly 12 people. See the chart for the breakdown for larger crowd portions. Chicken Salad Ingredients for Large Crowds
How to Make Chicken Salad Recipe for a Crowd
If the salad is an entrée, serve it on a croissant. But if it will be an appetizer, make finger sandwiches. Finger sandwiches are a tiny way to make a big impression on your guests. And they let you control the serving size. I mean, croissants have been done already. Try something new with your guests. How Far in Advance Can You Make Chicken Salad Sandwiches?You can make the chicken salad one day in advance and up to two days in a pinch. Keep the salad sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you make it an earlier, the celery and onions will lose their crispness. Note: Store the celery separately from the salad to keep the salad from getting watery. Then add it right before serving.
Plan on assembling the sandwiches a few hours before leaving for the event. The bread will soak up the juices from the mixture and get soggy if you do it too soon. Pro TipsChicken salad finger sandwiches make a fun appetizer at a party.How do you keep chicken salad sandwiches from getting soggy?
How do I serve chicken salad at a party?
Best Bread/Roll for Chicken Salad SandwichesMake and serve finished sandwiches if you think you may be short on chicken salad filling.
For more bread ideas, see the best breads for a chicken salad sandwich. Many breads are delicious with this salad. SubstitutionsYou can swap out just about any ingredient in the recipe to your liking! Swap out:
VariationsYou will never get bored with the different ways to vary the classic recipe.
How to Store LeftoversRefrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Beware of watery salad. The moisture in celery, pickles, and onions will start to seep into the salad. Drain any liquid from the salad before eating it. You can also store whole sandwiches for about a day in the fridge, but they will start to get soggy after that. I strongly recommend using them as lunch the day after your potluck. Leftovers always make a delicious meal. Can You Freeze?Freezing a mayo-based chicken salad is not the best idea. The components of the mayo – the egg, oil, and stabilizing liquid (usually lemon juice) separate while frozen. Other salad ingredients also don’t freeze well.
FAQCan you make store-bought chicken salad better, if you would rather buy than make it for a crowd? Although homemade chicken salad always tastes the best, you can jazz up store-bought chicken salad with add-ins and flavor enhancers. Check out my post of how to make chicken salad better for more details. What to Serve with Chicken Salad Sandwiches for a CrowdChicken salad finger sandwiches plus chips and fruit are an easy luncheon idea.Even though the name says “salad,” there are no salad greens in chicken salad. But no potluck is complete without the following dishes:
Did you like this post? Then let’s be social. FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to keep up with the latest tutorials, favorite recipes, and interesting happenings. Prep Time 15 minutes Optional Chill Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes IngredientsFamily Size (serves 12)
Serving for Group of 25
Instructions
Notes
All images and content are ©TheTastyTip.com. If you want to use this recipe and techniques, please take your own photos, write your own description, and link back to this page. Thank you. Nutrition InformationYield12Serving Size⅓ cupAmount Per Serving Calories 84Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 11mgSodium 266mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 2g Nutrition information is an estimate only and may vary based on individual ingredients added and cooking methods used. Did you make this recipe? Tag @thetastytip on Instagram and hashtag it #thetastytip. How do I use canned chicken?21 Easy Ways to Use Canned Chicken. Canned Chicken Salad.. Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip.. Chicken Fried Rice.. Crescent Chicken Roll-Ups.. Salsa Ranch Chicken Wrap.. Chicken Noodle Casserole.. Chicken Pot Pie.. Avocado Chicken Salad.. What do you do with canned whole chicken?Here are some ways to serve canned chicken:. Chicken noodle soup.. Chicken and dumpling soup.. Stuffed peppers.. Chicken a la king.. Put it on salads.. Creamed chicken and mushrooms.. Chicken fricassee.. Can canned chicken be cooked?Can You Cook Canned Chicken? Of course! You can add canned chicken to recipes that require cooking. Because the meat is already cooked, you can also use it straight from the can (I do recommend draining it first).
Do you put eggs in chicken salad sandwiches?The secret to a homestyle Southern chicken salad is the chopped hard-boiled egg and dill pickle relish, which adds lots of flavor and, thanks to the pickle, an unexpected tangy twist to a classic.
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