Everything Bagel Chicken Salad
Everything Bagel Chicken Salad is packed with the nutty, oniony, and garlicky goodness of an everything bagel. Tender shredded chicken, creamy mayo, onion, celery, and everything bagel seasoning gets tossed together to make a cold chicken salad perfect for sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Cold chicken salads deserve more credit for what they’re capable of. Creamy mayo-based chicken salads are a great canvas for different spices, seasonings, and mix-ins. So, today, we’re updating your everyday chicken salad with everything bagel seasoning.
Everything bagel seasoning is made with the same ingredients baked into the iconic everything bagel flavor. It’s typically made with poppy & sesame seeds, dried garlic & onion, and salt. In other words, everything on an everything bagel!
If you ask me, everything bagel seasoning is an all-purpose blend of flavors and is the best way to make boring chicken salad something special. I like making it at the beginning of the week to have lunches and dinners the next few days.
I should add that this everything bagel salad with shredded chicken is made with low-carb, real food ingredients that align with paleo, keto, and Whole30 protocols. You can use store-bought mayo or make 1-minute Whole30 mayo. Whatever works!
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a creative way to use everything bagel seasoning.
- Made with five simple ingredients, including cooked chicken as a shortcut.
- Great to make once and eat all week.
- It’s a hit wherever it goes -brunches, showers, luncheons, potlucks, etc.
- Only 1 carb per serving.
- Keto, paleo, & Whole30.
🧾 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shredded Chicken – Cold chicken salads are good for repurposing rotisserie chicken. For everything, there is to know need to know about making shredded chicken, check out my all-purpose shredded chicken guide.
- Mayonnaise – For paleo and Whole30 purposes, use a compliant store-bought mayo or make avocado mayo from scratch. Otherwise, use any full-fat quality mayo.
- Celery & Red Onion – This veggie duo brings fresh flavor, crunch, and a pop of color to improve presentation.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning – Trader Joe’s began selling “everything but the bagel seasoning” several years ago, and it’s since become a spice rack staple. You can find it pretty much everywhere these days. McCormick, Great Value, Simple Truth, and the store brand at Aldi are good options.
🥣 How To Make Chicken Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning
1️⃣ Dice vegetables. First, dice the onion and celery into small cubes.
2️⃣ Toss chicken salad ingredients. Add the diced onion, diced celery, shredded chicken, mayo, and everything bagel seasoning to a large mixing bowl, and toss until the chicken is saturated in mayo, and the onion, celery, and seasonings are evenly distributed.
3️⃣ Season to taste. Give it a quick taste and sprinkle in more everything bagel seasoning or salt if it needs more.
4️⃣ Serve. Serve on a green salad, as a sandwich or wrap, with crackers, or simply with a spoon. Enjoy!
💭 Recipe Tips
- Taste before adjusting seasoning – Depending on your spice blend, you may need to add more salt. After mixing everything, give it a taste. Flaked sea salt is best here.
- Chicken options – Rotisserie chicken or any tender, cooked chicken breast is best, but drained canned chicken also works.
- Protein variations – Instead of chicken, make a cold seafood salad with canned tuna, canned salmon, or cooked shrimp (chopped into small pieces).
- Turn up the heat – Add a pinch of red chili pepper flakes or freeze-dried jalapeno.
- Customize the vegetables – For a milder onion flavor, use the green part of green onions or chopped chives instead of red onion. Also, feel free to add shredded carrots, diced bell peppers, or thinly sliced seedless cucumber.
- Add a sweet element – Craisins, raisins, diced green apple, and grapes pair perfectly with the salty and savory everything bagel seasoning.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your chicken salad as a high-protein, low-carb snack, or use it to make these meals.
- Chicken salad sandwiches – Spread between slices of your favorite sandwich bread.
- Chef’s salad – Serve on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and shredded cheese.
- Chicken salad wrap – Roll it up in any burrito-size wrap (like whole-wheat, gluten-free, carb balance, etc.)
🧊 Storage
Store leftovers in a shallow, glass container with a well-sealed lid in the fridge for 3-5 days. Mayo doesn’t freeze well. So, only make enough for a few days.
❔FAQ
So many things! It tastes great with sliced avocado, scrambled eggs, avocado toast, juicy tomato slices, steamed white rice, popcorn, and roasted vegetables.
Yes. Combine 1 tablespoon each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and sea salt. You’ll have a few extra tablespoons to use elsewhere.
As a rule of thumb, always double-check the ingredient, but for the most part, everything bagel blends are compliant. The ingredients are typically only poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dry spices.
More Cold Chicken Salad Recipes
Check out this collection of 15 Whole30 chicken salad recipes. You’ll also love:
- Shredded BBQ Chicken Salad
- Chicken Salad with Apples & Walnuts
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad
- Sonoma Chicken Salad
Everything Bagel Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken shredded cooked
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup celery small dice
- ¼ cup red onion small dice
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning or more to taste
Instructions
- First, prep the vegetables by dicing the onion and celery into small cubes.
- Add the diced onion and celery to a large mixing bowl along with the shredded chicken, mayo, and everything bagel seasoning. Then, toss the ingredients together until fully incorporated and distributed evenly.
- Taste and add more everything bagel seasoning if needed.
- Serve on a green salad, as a sandwich or wrap, with crackers, or simply with a spoon. Enjoy!
