Chicken Salad: An Easy and Flavorful Lunch for Summer Days

When it comes to making a simple yet delicious lunch for the week, chicken salad is a total winner. We love it all the time, but especially in the summer. It's a staple in our fridge!

And, if you haven’t tried making your chicken salad with a whole chicken, your'e doing it wrong. I sad what I said. And I'm not going to take it back. Just keep reading and let me know what you think once you try it!

Why Use a Whole Chicken?

You might be asking, “Why go through the effort of cooking a whole chicken when I can just use chicken breasts?” The answer is simple: flavor and cost. Cooking a whole chicken gives you a variety of flavors from both the white meat and dark meat, which adds richness and complexity to your chicken salad. Also, purchasing a whole chicken is more cost effective for the amount of meat you get. Plus, Bowers Farm’s Pasture Raised Whole Chicken is raised with care, which means you’re getting high-quality, delicious meat. And, don’t forget, you can save the bones to make a homemade broth afterward—no waste here!

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Bowers Farm Pasture Raised Chicken

• Salt & pepper (to taste)

• Duke’s Mayonnaise (to taste)

• Any add-ons you desire - we've got a list further down.

Directions

1. Cook the Whole Chicken in the Crockpot

Start by seasoning your whole chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken into your crockpot and pour in about 1 cup of water. You don’t need to drown the chicken, just enough to keep things moist while it cooks. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender.

2. Shred the Chicken

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the crockpot and let it cool. Then, use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put the bones, skin, and any other bits you don’t want to eat back into the crockpot with the broth that was made from cooking the chicken - we'll come back to this later. Put the shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl.

3. Assemble the Chicken Salad

Add your Duke’s Mayonnaise (or your favorite brand) to the bowl with the shredded chicken.

4. Taste and Adjust

This is the fun part! Taste your chicken salad and adjust it as needed. It's your salad, so make it your own!

Fun Add-ins to Try

One of the best parts about chicken salad is the variety of ingredients you can add in based on your preferences. Above is a SUPER simple salad, it's your base. Now have some fun with it! Chopped celery and craisins are two of our go-to's, but there are plenty of other fun options to make this salad your own. Some of my favorites include:

• Chopped apples (for a sweet crunch)

• Toasted nuts (like almonds or pecans, for a little extra bite)

• Chopped grapes (for a fresh burst of sweetness)

• Chopped hard-boiled eggs (adds extra protein)

• Chopped pickles or relish (for a tangy twist)

• Spicy Mustard for some extra kick

What do you like to add to your chicken salad? Let’s share ideas! I always love hearing about new combinations to try.

5. Serve and Enjoy!

Serve your chicken salad on a bed of greens, in a sandwich, or as a wrap. It’s great for meal prep, so portion it into individual servings for the week ahead, or serve it at your next picnic or make some sandwiches to take to the pool, lake, or beach. This chicken salad is perfect for those fun summer days when you need a quick, delicious, and nutritious lunch that’s easy to grab and go!

Pro Tip

Let's go back to that broth and the bones - DO. NOT. THROW. AWAY. Sorry, was that too aggressive? Let me try that again.

Let's go back to that broth and bones - I would strongly encourage you not to throw any of this away, but enjoy all that cooking a whole chicken offers to you. Was that better?

Put the top back on the crock pot and cook those bones and broth on low for another couple hours then strain and pour into a mason jar - you've just made nutrient dense bone broth for your next soup, or to use instead of water for your rice or grits, or maybe just to drink straight when you're not feeling well.

This easy chicken salad recipe using Bowers Farm’s Pasture-Raised Whole Chicken is as flavorful as it is cost-effective. Cooking the chicken whole not only gives you more variety with both white and dark meat but also packs your chicken salad with delicious depth. Plus, it’s a perfect meal prep option for those sunny summer days when you want a tasty, quick lunch on hand. Whether you stick to the classic celery and craisin combo or add your favorite mix-ins, this chicken salad is sure to hit the spot!

Enjoy your new summer staple! Would love to hear what unique ingredients you like to throw into your chicken salad mix.

Whole Chicken

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