I’ve tried making chicken salad all different ways (even using the dreaded processed store bought mayo), and my older daughter has always claimed that she “doesn’t like chicken salad.” Well, that girl changed her mind super fast when one day I introduced this combination: Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad! This stuff is good with crackers, veggies, pretzels, and even just by itself. Trust me. Give it a go and you’ll see what all the fuss is about!
Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad
My older daughter has always claimed that she "doesn't like chicken salad." Well, that girl changed her mind super fast when one day I introduced this combination: Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Salad!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken, cooked, and shredded or diced
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion, sold in spice aisle
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly.
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Serve with whole-grain crackers or fresh veggies. This chicken salad would also be great with bits of celery mixed in!
Recipe Notes
This dish is best if made in advance so the minced onion has time to soften before eating, but don't let that stop you from eating it right away.
Check out my favorite way to prepare chicken here - The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Have you wondered if sour cream is a real food? Answer that question here - Cheese and Other Dairy Products: Are They Processed?
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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YUM!
This sounds awesome! I was wondering how long this would keep in the refrigerator for? Also wondering if you have ever tried this as a sandwich? Thanks for the wonderful recipes! I love your site!!
Michelle – We tried it in a pita and it was awesome! It would work great on regular bread as well. And I would keep it for as long as you are comfortable eating leftover chicken. I find that varies for some, but no more than 5 days.
Im guessing 3 days ! I don’t think I would eat it past 3 days.
I think that English peas would be good in this chicken salad as well!
I’ve been making chic mayo sandwiches since my school days.. the recipe is almost the same but using mayo instead of sour cream (store bought mayo tho), and i put diced onions & shredded carrots, slapped into fresh lettuce & whole wheat bread. Wonder how it’ll taste with sour cream.. gotta give it a try!
Wonderful!!! This is my new go to chicken salad recipe.
Thank you!
Try mixing the shredded chicken with a 5 oz. container of plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and adding chopped walnuts. Delicious.
Have you tried fresh onion??
Not in this recipe, Marty, but I am sure fresh onion would be a nice addition. ~Amy
Ill def have to try it this way but I might add celery, grapes, and dill (herb) to mine
I love chicken salad, never would have thought about making it with sour cream, Can’t wait to give it a try.
http://www.laramealor.com/51-simple-life-messages-daughter-2/
I just cooked off a turkey so I will be making this for lunch tomorrow. Can’t wait to try it!!!
I can’t wait to try this! I love how simple it is. Will definitely go by the recipe the first time, but I love how it leaves it open for some additions if wanted like celery, grapes, nuts, etc. I’ve never been a mayonnaise fan, so I love this alternative!
We use an almost identical mixture for a hot hand pie filling. Simply make some whole wheat pie crust and cut out circles using a salad or appetizer plate, put some of this in the middle, fold in half and pinch to seal. then bake the hand pies until the crust is done – delicious!
What crackers are featured in the photo above? The look delicious, I would like to get some to go with this salad. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I would also like to know which crackers are in the photo above. I love ak-mak but need to mix it up now and then :)
Hi there. Pretty sure those are Crunchmaster which are a favorite in my house, too. :) ~Amy
Would you mind doing a post of all the approved crackers and where you find them? I have just been buying Ak-Mak and Triscuits. I too would like to mix it up, but I didn’t know other cracker choices were available. I am especially interested in kid friendly crackers.
Hi Kristin. It is really a pretty short list. You might also see whole wheat matzo, as well as Crunchmaster brand crackers. One other good brand is Mary’s gone crackers. Also, Lisa makes her own cheddar crackers: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/23/recipe-easy-cheesy-crackers/. ~Amy
Thanks, I tried the homemade goldfish recipe a few years ago and was not impressed. Not very cheesy and rather greasy. Most other homemade whole wheat cracker recipes have sugar in them. There is a vendor at my farmer’s market that sells homemade whole wheat crackers with real ingredients, unfortunately all varieties contain added sweetener.
Hi, I love your blog and its been such an encouragement and help to me as my family and I are transitioning to more healthy eating! And I’m definitely going to have to try this new recipe too!
I was wondering though I’m pregnant and am wanting to get some meals together for after the baby comes so we don’t fall back into fast food and “easy” meals that aren’t so healthy. Do you have any ideas of some meals, mainly dinners with chicken or beef, either I could freeze beforehand or would be quick and easy meals especially for a almost 2 year old by that time and 3 year old who are picky eaters)? Thank you for any help! I just don’t want to fall off the train of healthy eating because we have a new baby and I won’t have as much time to devote to cooking/baking. :)
Here you go. http://www.home-ec101.com/how-to-choose-freezer-friendly-recipes/
I think a lot of the recipes on this site could be made in advance and frozen. Another tip is to freeze ‘prep stuff’, i.e browned hamburger, meatballs, shredded chicken, etc and then all you (or your husband) need to do is pull out ingredients and something can be put together fairly quickly.
Hello! Congrats! You are going to have your hands full(er). :) I would encourage you to comb through the recipe index:https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/recipe-index/ and pick out favorites that will work for your family. Most of the recipes will freeze well and you can do it bit by bit. Best wishes! ~Amy
I have been unable to eat chicken salad because it’s always mayo based which I would almost wish I WAS allergic because people don’t understand when there’s something you just can’t eat!! Thank you so much for this.. I will be making it this week!! Can’t wait!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was so good. I diced up one stalk of celery in in and also diced up about half of a medium sized apple and served it on a croissant and it was so so good. My kids weren’t wild about it but they are pretty picky about new foods so I’m not giving up yet. My husband and I loved it.
I really love your blog, and I hate to criticize, but…I don’t see how onion powder and garlic powder fits with real food. I have a long way to go with improving my family’s eating, but powders, especially ones like onion and garlic, which are a snap to replace with the real thing, were one of the first things I eliminated.
This recipe looks great, but I was really disappointed with the powder thing.
i dont quite understand your concern? The powders are simply dehydraded onion/garlic that are ground into a powder.
Lisa I have loved following your site. I know this is just a drop in the bucket but I’ve nominated you for The Sunshine Award! (You can follow the link for more award details.) Just wanted to let you know from one blogger to another that I appreciate all you do! And I bought my first glass storage jars and tried out your crockpot refried beans…fabulous!!
– Karen Barnes
This looks delicious. I LOVE chicken salad! I make mine with sour cream as well, as a clean alternative to mayo (great with tuna, too!). Your blog is so amazing and was my inspiration to start eating real food and to start my own real food blog. Thank you so much for all you do (and for this recipe!)
Has anyone tried it with plain greek yogurt? I’m lactose intolerant so Sour Cream is my second worst enemy (Cream Cheese is number one). Thanks!
Hi Rose. Greek yogurt is a common substitute for sour cream, though we’ve not tried it in this recipe. ~Amy
Made this last night for dinner. Delicious! My husband and 12 month old son gobbled it up. Thank you for making real food taste so good. Your recipes make it easy to please every member of my family.
You can also make homemade mayo with eggs, lemon juice and some olive oil. Many recipes online. Use an immersion blender – takes about 3 minutes. Yummy!
This sounds delish! Want woudl be an approx serving size?
hmmm…think this sour cream make-over would work for tuna salad as well?
I tried to make over my family’s favorite tuna salad with greek yogurt and they were not big fans of the change!
Hi April. Give it a try! :) ~Amy
I’m definitely making this for dinner tonight! I might add some mild chilies but will wait to see what I feel like later today.
Made it for dinner – so yummy! I think all of my kids had seconds, even the one who doesn’t generally like sour cream. I didn’t add any chilies after all, and I liked it just the way it came out :) Thanks for the recipe!
An idea for anyone looking to replace the dairy (its a no go, we have an Epi-pen for a dairy allergy in my house) that’s a real food is…mashed avocado and a splash of lemon or lime juice. Doesn’t do well with the whole make ahead of time, but if its all going to be eaten at once.
I’m intrigued by the whole sour cream addition. Might have to give this a whirl at work ;-)
Going to make it with Greek yogurt !
HI. Love your site, just started to look at your recipes. I was wondering if you list the nutritional values; calories, carbs, etc.
Thanks
I just made this for lunch with left over chicken breast from last nights dinner. This is going to be a great addition to my husbands lunch! It was soooooo good, I didn’t want to save any for later! The sour cream is a way better taste than mayo! Thanks Lisa!
Yum! Just made it for lunch, although I did not have dried minced onion, I minced some fresh, added celery and some fresh chives to the recipe… simply delish!
I’ll be honest – I was skeptical as I am a bit squeamish towards many dairy products, but this recipe delivers! I added celery and some sliced red grapes and it was YUM. My son has a life threatening allergy to dairy, but I am betting Tofutti’s dairy free sour cream could work if you don’t have avocados on hand.
I have ALWAYS HATED mayo and any other substitute, thus I’ve never liked chicken or tuna salad. So one day I got the idea to use sour cream instead, (which I’ve always liked) to make my own version…and it was SOOOO good. This was years ago back in my college days and everyone I told thought I was nuts, but I didn’t care because it was delicious!! I’m SO glad you are sharing this recipe so others can experience its greatness!!
Thanks for the recipe! I tried it last night and it was bit too much onion for my family. I will definitely try it again with 1/2 the minced onion.
Do you have the nutrition facts (calories, sugars, protein, fat, etc.) for your recipes? Loved the recipe!
Hello Jenn. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
I tried this today and it is absolutely amazing. I even added a little milk kefir to make it a bit more wet since I added more chicken than the recipe called for. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!!!
I didn’t think anyone could beat my chicken salad recipe, but the switch from mayo to sour cream made it so much better! I added some dill too….Yum!
I made this and it’s definitely going in the permanent file. I added about a half cup of diced celery, about two tablespoons of chopped scallions and an extra tablespoon of sour cream. I also adjusted the salt, it needed just a bit more. My husband loved this. He took it for lunch to work and is taking the last of it for a sandwich while he is fishing. We ate it in pitas with Roma tomatoes and a little baby spinach. He has already requested I make it again. Tomorrow!!
I made this the other day. My husband thought it was delicious and he’s never liked any “salads.” Tuna, chicken,etc.
As someone who really hates mayo,I will definitely be giving this a try!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I miss eating tuna salad, as I am pregnant right now but this was absolutely tasty! My husband said this recipe is definitely a keeper!
This was totally delicious! I had this on a wrap with tomatoes and avocado for lunch AND dinner yesterday, it was so good! Loved the flavor.
Super excited to report it’s delicious with tuna in place of the chicken! I always have canned tuna on hand, so this is perfect for a last minute packed lunch for work. I subbed full fat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, and ate it on Triscuit thin crisps. Delish!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was SO GOOD! I don’t like tuna so this is a good substitute for me. I doubled the recipe except for the chicken and added chopped up celery. I highly recommend it! I put mine on a sandwich. Thank you for the recipe!
Made this and LOVED it. I am really picky about chicken salad, but thought this was yummy. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t like sour cream so he wasn’t a huge fan. Oh well!
How do you think that the sour cream replacement(over mayo)would work with adding grapes?
I typically add a dash of mustard powder, honey, chopped celery, chopped onion, a dash of soy and diced grapes to my chick salad. We typically eat this on crescent rolls as a small sandwhich in summer.
Hi there. I think it would work well. :)
Have you tried this with tuna (for tuna salad sandwiches) ??
Hi there. Nope. If you do, let us know how it turns out. :)
I did and it was excellent!
What are the crackers pictured with the chicken salad?
Hi Dana. Those are Crunch Master crackers.
Could you substitute organic yogurt for the sour cream as was suggested in the Stoneyfield article?
Hi Jessica. Yes, that should work. :)
What brand are the crackers shown in the chicken salad plate picture?
Thank you
I made this chicken salad last night and it was amazing! It tasted even better today after sitting in the fridge overnight. I definitely will keep this recipe on hand as we head into the warmer summer weather.
I’ve made this recipe three times now, and I absolutely love it. I usually make it with chicken cooked in the pressure cooker. I can start wth frozen chicken and have this chicken salad made in less than 30 minutes. Love it! Thanks for the great sour cream idea.
Can’t wait to try this tomorrow. It looks good! Do you have a simple tuna salad recipe? I’ve tried several and failed.
Hi Jamie. We don not. Sorry.
Wild Pacific tuna, homemade or store bought minimally processed organic mayo, organic all seasons salt, local organic or homemade pickle relish. :-)
I don’t like mayo so I always have made my chicken salads and egg salads with sour cream instead. Add a little diced cooked bacon, celery, red onion and serve on toast as a sandwich. Yum!
I made this for lunch today, and wow!! So good! I had been missing chicken salad since I switched to real food, but making homemade mayo seemed like too much trouble because we never use it for anything other than chicken salad. This recipe totally fixed my craving and will become part of my regular rotation! I added crunchy green grapes and chopped walnuts to mine and it was perfect!! Thanks a million for sharing your awesome recipes with us! I adore your website!
I’m going to try this since mayo/Miracle Whip (I know, crazy processed) are put due to an egg allergy and vegan mayo (again, processed) is out due to a soy allergy.
I made this for lunch this week! I have the hardest time getting my one year old to eat meat, she’s not a fan, but she gobbled it up! She actually gave a dirty look when I helped my self to a bite. :)
I can’t believe how good this is…it’s so simple! And now I have a clean sour cream and onion dip for veggies too. Thank you, Lisa! We love all of your recipes in our house.
Wondering if you’ve tried subbing greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Hi Heather. We haven’t but it should work fine.
Something a friend taught me is to substitute Plain Greek Yogurt for sour cream. It trays just like sour cream and typically has a lot more protein.
I made a double batch, and we have some leftovers. Do you know whether this freezes well?
Hi Melissa. We typically can’t answer recipe questions in real time. I’ve never frozen this. Let us know if you did. :)
I too NEED nutrional info, specifically carb counts on your recipes as my daughter is a type 1 diabetic and has to count/cover every carb that goes into her mouth.
Wouldn’t you just add up the carbs you’re putting into the recipe then? You would need to look at the nutritional information of the ingredients you’re combining. Though I’d assume for this recipe…. Chicken, sour cream and minced onions… It’d be be 5 carbs tops.
Yes, that is what I do with every single thing she eats. She is 17 years old and newly diagnosed and our worlds have been turned upside down. I use this website quite a bit and just wanted to request that info to make our lives a little easier if the nutrition info was readily available.
Hi Mandy. Sorry but we do not provide nutrition details. This post will explains our philosophy as to why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. There are, however, many online tools that can figure out those details for you.
Mandy, I’m really late with this information…I just learned of this site. Regarding your need for nutritional data for the recipes, a website called MyFitnessPal.com has a recipe converter app to it. You simply enter the recipe information and you can save the nutritional data at the same time. You can download this as an Apple app or use as a regular website. It’s great for lots of food management uses, including calorie counting. There may be others that provide similar information, but I’m just really familiar with MyFitnessPal.com. Good luck.
Love this recipe! I made some for my lunch today to serve on rye crackers and it was delicious! I didn’t have any sour cream on hand so I went with plain greek yogourt and it turned out great. Also added some celery for crunch! For the above poster, Mandy, I put all of my recipes into My Fitness Pal app for the nutritional breakdown. 1/4 of this recipe (Made with plain greek yogourt instead of sour cream) has 134 cal, 2.5 g fat, 1.7 g carbs, 24.7 g protein. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much Jennifer! I need to learn how to use that app better… I look up individual items all the time, but have never created a recipe with it.
Has anyone tried this to make Tuna salad? I have been avoiding mayonnaise because even the organic ones seem to be made with canola. thanks
I recently found your site and I love it! And I just made this recipe for my lunch today and it is fantastic. I didn’t have any minced onion, so I diced up some red onion and it was still great. Thanks again for helping us all get healthier on real food :-)
I have to make “sour cream and onion” dip for a party this weekend. Would this work, minus the chicken? Just wondering if leaving out the chicken will change it too much. Or do you have a recipe like that? Thanks!
Hi Tiffany. That is not something we have tried but it you do, let us know if it works alone as a dip.
Bi tasted the sour cream without chicken but add everything else and it tastes like Lipton French onion dip.
This was just the flavor I was craving! I didn’t have any dried onion so I used fresh and I also added in some chopped celery. Definitely a keeper!