Chicken Salad
Protein-packed chicken is tossed in a creamy dressing with juicy grapes, crunchy celery, and crisp green onion to create the yummiest chicken salad. Perfect for a light lunch or special brunch.
For today’s chicken salad recipe, I used a very simple cooking technique to prepare the chicken breasts – poaching. Poaching is a gentle, low temperature cooking method that works well for delicate foods like fish, eggs, fruit, and chicken. For poaching, the temperature of the water should remain between 160- and 180-degrees F. In this temperature range, the water will appear to shimmer, but it won’t bubble. The best way to maintain this temperature range is by using an instant-read thermometer. When properly poached, even ultra lean chicken breasts will be juicy and moist.
Simmering and boiling are similar to poaching, but they are defined by different temperature ranges and are suited for different foods. Simmering is a cooking technique where food is cooked in hot liquids kept between 180- and 205-degrees F, just below boiling. Simmering is characterized by tiny bubbles that slowly rise and just break the surface of the cooking liquid. Foods often simmered include soups, stews, and sauces. Boiling occurs at 212 degrees F and creates large, vigorous bubbles, along with lots of steam. Boiling is ideal for cooking pasta and potatoes, or blanching vegetables.
For perfectly poached chicken breasts, I followed a technique shared by the folks at The Spruce Eats. The poached breasts were tender, succulent, and made the best chicken salad. Here’s the simple method.
Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large saucepan or pot. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken by one inch.
For extra flavorful chicken, add aromatics to the pot. Aromatics include garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion, carrots, celery, fresh ginger slices, orange or lemon peel, fresh rosemary, or thyme sprigs. I mimicked the flavors in the chicken salad recipe and added celery sticks, onion, and black peppercorns to the poaching water.
Heat the pot of chicken and cold water over medium heat until the water temperature reaches 160 to 180 degrees F. Once that temperature range is reached, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to remain in the hot liquid, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until an internal temperature of a 165 degrees F is reached in the thickest part of the breast.
Remove the chicken from the pot and dice once it’s cool enough to handle. When making chicken salad, I like the diced chicken breast to be completely chilled before adding the other ingredients.
Good to know: For those watching their sodium intake, using poached chicken breast in this recipe instead of store-bought rotisserie chicken is a game changer. Check out these numbers. Three cups of diced poached chicken breast contains 315 milligrams of sodium; that same amount of rotisserie chicken has about 2,000 milligrams of sodium. That’s an 84 percent reduction in sodium.
To your health,
Darlene
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Source: Perfectly Poached Chicken Breasts Recipe from The Spruce Eats. Accessed October 21, 2025.
CHICKEN SALAD
Yield: 8 servings
Serving Size: 2/3 cup chicken salad on 2 whole lettuce leaves
Prep: 15 minutes
Ready: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 cups cooked, diced skinless chicken breast
1 cup red grapes, halved or quartered
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup sliced green onion, tops and bulbs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 Boston bibb whole lettuce leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, parsley, or dill (optional garnish)
DIRECTIONS
To a large bowl, add diced cooked chicken, grapes, celery, and green onion.
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Add dressing mixture to chicken mixture and gently mix until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
A serving consists of two whole lettuce leaves, each filled with about 1/3 cup chicken salad and topped with fresh chives.
Nutrition Information per Serving
185 Calories, 9.5 g Total fat, 2 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 53 mg Cholesterol, 286 mg Sodium, 6 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 4.5 g Total sugars, 0.5 g Added sugars, 17 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 45 mg (4%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 209 mg (4%) Potassium
© 2025 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC
What a great recipe! I’ve never poached chicken before. Thanks for the tips :)