Chicken Salad with Basil
This low-carb Chicken Salad with Basil also has grated Parmesan, and this is the salad I think of when basil plants show up in the stores! And personally I think chicken and basil is a perfect flavor combination.
PIN the Chicken Salad with Basil to try it later!
For this week’s Friday Favorites pick I’m reminding you about this amazing Chicken Salad with Basil that I think is something you should make as soon as you see basil plants showing up in the grocery store or have basil growing in your garden, and then you should keep making it all summer long!
I’m a huge fan of fresh basil, and I’ve been growing basil and freezing the basil for many years now! So of course I’m excited when basil season gets started every year, and this basil-loaded chicken salad recipe is one of my favorite summer salads. And through the years I’ve decided you just can’t put too much chopped basil in this salad.
And yes, I used the word SUMMER, but please don’t hesitate to make this tasty chicken salad any time you have chicken and fresh basil on hand! If you’re not growing basil and have to buy it in the grocery store you can certainly get away with using less in this recipe. But please try it if you’re a fan of these flavors. I could eat this over and over again and never get tired of it!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- diced cooked chicken, or see notes below to cook the chicken
- mayo
- buttermilk
- green onion
- fresh basil leaves
- coarsely grated Parmesan Cheese
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
If you have to buy fresh basil, here’s how to make it last longer:
If you don’t have a basil plant growing in the window or basil in the garden, you might want to check out how to preserve fresh basil for weeks on the countertop. If you haven’t tried this before, I promise you’ll be amazed amazing how long it lasts!
More Tips for Cooking with Fresh Basil:
I’m such a fan of basil that I wrote a post about Cooking with Fresh basil. That has all my favorite recipes using basil as well as my ideas for making pesto, making basil vinaigrette, and freezing fresh basil!
See all my favorite Chicken Salad Recipes:
Salads made with leftover chicken are something I make all summer long, and you can see 24 different chicken salad recipes in my huge round-up of Low-Carb and Keto Chicken Salads; enjoy!
How to make Chicken Salad with Basil:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- You can make the salad with leftover rotisserie chicken, but if you’re starting from scratch, trim the chicken breasts and cut into thirds lengthwise. I used a mixture of canned chicken broth and water to cook the chicken, combined with 2 teaspoons of Italian Herb Blend(affiliate link). You could use poultry seasoning if you don’t have the Italian blend.
- When the liquid comes to a boil, add the chicken and cook at the barest simmer until it’s cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the chicken into a colander and let it drain very well.
- Then cut the chicken into cubes about 3/4 inch square.
- I used Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to cut the basil into thin strips. If you’re using basil from the garden, give it a wash in a Mini Salad and Herb Spinner (affiliate link).
- After you slice the fresh basil, chop green onions, and prepare freshly-grated Parmesan.
- Whisk together the mayo and buttermilk so it’s smooth; then stir in the basil strips, chopped green onion, and a Parmesan. Gently stir the dressing into the cubes of chicken, season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.
- This salad can also be chilled for a few hours before serving; enjoy!
More Tasty Chicken Salad Recipes:
- Tarragon Chicken Salad
- Chicken Salad with Hearts of Palm
- Chicken Salad with Green Olives
- Chicken Salad with Avocado, Radishes, and Lime
- Southwest Chicken Salad
Chicken Salad with Basil
I love growing basil in the summer, and this low-carb Chicken Salad with Basil (and Parmesan!) is something I'd never get tired of.
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken, cut in 3/4 inch pieces (If you’re cooking the chicken for this recipe, see notes below.)
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil leaves (or more)
- 3 T coarsely grated Parmesan Cheese
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you’re cooking chicken for this, trim visible fat from 4 chicken breasts, then cut the chicken lengthwise into thirds. Put the can of chicken stock, 2 cans of water, and the Italian Herb Blend (affiliate link) or poultry seasoning into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. When it boils add chicken breasts, turn heat to low, and let simmer 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain the chicken into a colander placed in the sink and let it cool.
- While the chicken cools, slice the basil leaves or cut with Herb Scissors (affiliate link) and wash if needed, chop green onions, and measure the freshly-grated Parmesan.
- When chicken is cool, dice it into pieces about 3/4 inch square and place into medium-sized bowl.
- Combine mayo and buttermilk, whisking until it’s smooth. Then stir in green onion, Parmesan, and basil.
- Add dressing to the chicken in the bowl and gently mix until chicken is well coated with dressing. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- This can be served immediately or chilled slightly before serving. This will keep in the fridge for about a day, but it’s best freshly made.
Notes
This recipe adapted by Kalyn from one that appeared on the Best Foods site.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 404Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 401mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 23g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Chicken Salad with Basil is great for any low-carb or low-glycemic diet plan, including Keto, and also for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would recommend you use light mayo and use portion control due to the amount of fat; other low-carb diets will prefer full-fat mayo.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more low-carb salads like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This salad was first posted in 2005! I’ve made it so many times since then, and it was last updated with more information in 2023.
45 Comments on “Chicken Salad with Basil”
Too much mayo, maybe half it. The buttermilk does a good job.
Some people like a lot of mayo (like me), but others may prefer less. Of course you are free to use as much as you prefer.
Made this today! Such an interesting flavor profile that I had not tried in chicken salad. I used Greek yogurt instead of mayo and only had milk on hand. I figured the tartness of the yogurt would make up for the buttermilk. I enjoyed it very much!
So glad you enjoyed! And thanks for sharing how you adapted it too.
Kalyn, love your blog. Thanks so much for all your great recipes. I roasted a chicken Sunday night so plan to use the ‘tovers’ to make this salad. Blessings
So glad you enjoying the blog. This is a perfect way to use turkey leftovers!
Lydia, yaay!
There's finally enough basil in my garden to do justice to this chicken salad recipe!
Eileen, that sounds good to me!
This chicken salad is really making me want to go on a picnic! Just imagine how great it would be made into sandwiches and passed around with glasses of lemonade. Yay!
I made this last night. It is so delicious!!!
I've pinned it so others will give it a try too.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes.
so simple, but so delish. i'm having this for lunch today on top of some greens since i'm still on phase 1. i can't wait to try it with whole wheat pita bread tho.
Gwen, thanks for letting me know you tried it and liked it. This is one of my favorites for leftover chicken.
I made this for lunch, with basil and onion from my garden, and it was the best chicken salad I've ever had! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I love fresh basil and am looking forward to using it in this recipe next time I grab some. It looks so simple.
Oh come on, you *know* mayo is supposed to be mixed with yogurt/Greek yogurt 🙂
Love the idea of adding basil. Still have a lot of basil in the back yard, gonna give this one a try!
This sounds delicious…I'll have to try it! I generally make my chicken salad with crushed red pepper flakes for seasoning, as well as a teensy bit of salt and pepper, then use a lowfat vegan mayo, thinly sliced celery, a touch of coarse and spicy honey mustard, and tons of chopped red grapes for a taste of sweetness to counteract the spicy!
those ingredients make so much sense to me!
Cristie, love the idea of using gorgonzola! Sounds great.
I love chicken salad and find it's a terrific way to turn left-over chicken into a tasty lunch or supper. I just tried a new chicken-salad recipe that uses gorgonzola cheese and basil. At first the strong gorgonzola taste was surprising but within a few bites I couldn't stop eating it. I agree with you, cheese, basil and chicken make a winning salad. Thanks for the post.
Spanishamada, thanks so much for letting me know. Now I want to try it that way myself.
Amy, thanks! So glad to hear you liked it. (That's just how my dad and I ate it too, sandwich for him and salad for me.)
Made this for dinner tonight! It was delicious. I had it as a salad, and my husband had a sandwich. He loved it too!
Thanks………
I just made it with Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Delish!
Katerina, I did eat some that way and it was great!
I can totally taste this stuffed in a WW pita!
I mean that when the plant gets large leaves at the end of the stems (and especially it it's in the beginning stages of making flowers) you should trim that stem (leaving some leaves on at the bottom.) Then the basil will make two stalks where you trimmed, producing even more leaves. You can see how I trim my basil and read about freezing it in my post about How to Freeze Fresh Basil. It will really make a difference in how much basil your plants produce in a year.
Kalyn, you just told me to trim my basil regularly. Can you tell me exactly what you mean by that? (I feel so stupid, I've been growing the stuff for years. Mostly have trouble with something putting holes in it….)
This sounds like it takes regular old chicken salad to a whole new level. Excellent!
This is my kind of chicken salad! It's a good thing I have plenty of basil in my garden.
Katie, loved the sound of your salad with cranberries and walnuts (and then in one of the comments Maris gave me the idea of adding apples to it too, which also sounds good.) Limitless herbs is a wonderful thing. Not sure if I have completely achieved it, but I do have a healthy herb garden!
Thanks for the link! I have been really enjoying stepping out of my chicken salad comfort zone and trying new and different combinations. I am trying to get my little herb garden to grow so I can have limit-less herbs available when I want to make recipes like this.
Amy, I confess I'm just a bit obsessed with cutting things the same size ever since I took a Chinese cooking class and learned about "symmetry of cut" but I do think it makes a difference. No doubt that BC makes a great chicken salad! Glad you liked the roasted mushrooms.
Elenka, it will grow. When it does, be sure to trim regularly.
Lisa, I never did get any Thai basil planted this year, it's been a weird garden year around here.
Kalyn, this looks great and I must try it when my basil plant gets a bit bigger. My Thai basil is going nuts, but the Italian basil is lagging behind. Thanks for the recipe.
As soon as the basil in my garden is more than a half inch tall, I can try this recipe!! Patience…..
That's how I chop my chicken when I make chicken salad. I'd like to say that I was naturally inclined to do so but the truth is I saw Barefoot Contessa do it on t.v. She makes a mean chicken salad.
I agree about the basil – we have more that we can use so I've been putting it in everything and it is so good. The other day I read about how you oven roasted mushrooms and I did it but used different herbs…it was so good. 🙂
Amanda, this should be very diabetes friendly.
Frieda, I love basil, so this is perfect for me. Isn't it fun to grow!
Meghan, an abundance of basil is a wonderful thing, and this is a good way to use some of it. Let me know if you try it with the yogurt; I'm thinking it will be good!
Maris, thanks! Cranberry, apple, chicken salad sounds great too.
Yum! This is a nice change from the typical walnut-cranberry-apple chicken salad recipe. Which I love! But it's nice to see another variation.
This looks so delicious! I love chicken salad but never thought to put in fresh basil. I have an abundance of basil on my balcony!!! That's a great idea to sub some ff Greak yogurt for the mayo!
Thanks for another recipe to use basil! I have 3 small plants in my yard…I appreciated your basil post from earlier, too!
thank you, this looks really good 🙂 I've just been diagnosed with early diabetes so I've been thrust into eating better. I'll save this recipe to try!
Joyandpain, I'm updating the old recipes without photos as fast as I can! This one is on the list.
This sounds great. I'm going to try it. Maybe you could make it again and post a picture?
This looked so good – I snagged it for a post. Thanks, Dear! 😉
Thanks for the recipes.
Mr. Quist