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All the flavors of our fan-favorite Marry Me Chicken, in tender, creamy chicken salad form! Shredded chicken, loaded with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and parmesan cheese, this twist on chicken salad is packed with flavor and a favorite at every BBQ and potluck I’ve been to!

A close-up look at a large neutral bowl holding marry me chicken salad, with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil.

💍 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • You all love our marry me chicken recipe so much that it’s already expanded into Whole30 marry me chicken, marry me chicken pasta, and slow cooker marry me chicken. Now, allow me to introduce you to this potluck-perfect marry me chicken salad! We took the tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and parmesan cream sauce from the original recipe and adapted them into a flavorful chicken salad to rival anything you’d get from the Chick.
  • Marry me chicken salad is super easy to make – arguably the easiest version we’ve developed so far! No cast-iron skillet needed, no extra oven step, and honestly, you don’t even need to cook chicken for this dish if you don’t want to. Shredded rotisserie chicken works like a charm, and it cuts your overall recipe time down to about 15 minutes.
  • One great thing about all chicken salads, this one included, is that you can serve them a variety of ways so you don’t get bored. Scoop the salad into lettuce cups or onto a bed of spinach and red lettuce. Sandwich your salad between two buttery croissant halves. Eat it straight out of the bowl with crunchy buttery crackers. Feel free to get creative!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • If you have the time, make your marry me chicken salad far enough in advance that it can chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes. That gives the ingredients time to marry together (get it?), making them richer and more intense than when the salad’s first prepared. If you don’t have extra time, don’t worry. It’ll still be super delicious, so feel free to serve it right away.
  • Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, not the ones packed dry. Not only do the tomatoes take on the extra flavor of the oil and herbs they were packed in, but you can use some of the oil in the chicken salad itself. You also don’t have to prep the oil-packed tomatoes before you use them since they’re already softened.
A zoomed-out look of a bowl of marry me chicken salad on a stained wood tabletop with a neutral cloth napkin.

🍗 Check Out These Chicken Recipes

A close-up look at a large neutral bowl holding marry me chicken salad, with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil.
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Marry Me Chicken Salad


Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Savory, rich marry me chicken, turned into a creamy chicken salad that's great with buttery crackers, served on a bed of lettuce, or made into an incredible chicken salad sandwich.
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8 servings

Equipment

  • Wide skillet with lid if cooking chicken
  • Tongs if cooking chicken
  • internal meat thermometer if cooking chicken
  • Cutting board if cooking chicken
  • 2 forks if cooking chicken
  • large mixing bowl
  • Silicone spatula
  • Plastic wrap or lid for mixing bowl, optional

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 2 ¼ pounds cooked and shredded chicken
  • 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock, see Notes
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise plus more to taste
  • ½ cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1 small shallot finely chopped, approximately ¼ cup
  • ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes chopped, oil reserved
  • 2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste

Instructions

To Cook the Chicken (Skip if Using Pre-Cooked Chicken)

  • Place 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in wide skillet and place skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Pour 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken broth into skillet, covering chicken breasts completely.
  • When liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cover skillet with lid. Simmer chicken in broth 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken breasts reach 160° Fahrenheit internally.
  • When internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit, transfer chicken to cutting board. Let chicken breasts rest 5 minutes, then use 2 forks to shred chicken into small pieces. Reserve chicken broth in skillet until ready to use.

To Make the Chicken Salad

  • Transfer shredded chicken to large mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup full-fat sour cream, 1 small shallot, ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir all ingredients together until fully combined.
  • Add reserved chicken broth to bowl in 1-tablespoon increments, stirring after each tablespoon to fully incorporate broth into salad. Continue adding broth until desired consistency and creaminess is achieved.
  • Taste salad and adjust seasonings and mayonnaise if desired. Serve prepared chicken salad immediately, or cover bowl with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
  • Chicken Broth: If you’re using pre-cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken) then you’ll only need approximately 4-8 tablespoons of chicken broth. It just depends how creamy you want your salad to be.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 407calProtein: 40gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 954mgPotassium: 862mgTotal Carbs: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 3gVitamin A: 284IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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