Chicken and Rice Salad

Chicken and Rice Salad
Diana Rattray
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

This lively chicken and rice salad is a delicious, appetizing lunch or dinner, perfect for any day of the week. It's an excellent picnic salad, too.

I used a grilled chicken breast I picked up at a local deli, but you could use a rotisserie chicken or your own roasted or baked chicken in the salad. It would be great with turkey as well. The salad is also very versatile. Below the instructions I've listed several variations and possible additions. My favorite addition to any chicken salad is toasted pecans.

Serve the salad on mixed salad greens or romaine lettuce leaves along with sliced fresh tomatoes, or use it to stuff tomatoes or small bell peppers.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, cooled

  • 1 1/2 cups diced celery

  • 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

  • 1 1/2 cups English peas, cooked

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons diced pimiento

  • 3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 to 6 cups salad greens, or chopped lettuce

  • Pimiento-stuffed olives, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Put the cooled rice in a large serving bowl. Add the diced celery, diced cooked chicken, and the cooked and cooled peas. Stir in the finely chopped onion and the pimiento.

  2. Gently toss to combine the ingredients thoroughly.

  3. Stir in 3/4 cup of mayonnaise. Add more mayonnaise, as desired, to moisten and flavor the salad. 

  4. Taste and add salt, as needed, along with the 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

  5. Mound the salad on mixed greens or chopped lettuce and garnish with pimiento stuffed olives.

  6. Serve with slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, or avocado.

Variations

  • Add 1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans or almonds to the salad along with the chicken.
  • Replace the chicken with diced cooked turkey.
  • Replace the rice with cooked bulgur wheat or a similar grain.
  • Omit the onions or replace them with chopped green onions or red onions.
  • Replace the diced pimientos with 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped roasted red peppers from a jar or use diced red or green bell pepper. 
  • Replace all or part of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, and add little lemon juice, to taste.
  • Add a few tablespoons of crumbled cooked bacon for some great smoky flavor.
  • Dice a little cooked smoked andouille sausage and add it to the chicken mixture to spice it up and give it some Louisiana flavor.
  • Add about 1/4 cup of finely chopped ham.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
428 Calories
33g Fat
21g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 584mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 18mg 88%
Calcium 68mg 5%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 390mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)