Is It Possible To Freeze Chicken Salad?

Whether enjoyed on crackers, in a sandwich, or over a bed of fresh greens, chicken salad is one of the most versatile non-seasonal foods you can put together. You can add brown sugar for a more balanced chicken salad or go for a Greek version with yogurt. However you create it, it needs to be used up fast because it only lasts for three to four days in the fridge. This makes some folks wonder if their crisp and creamy chicken salad can be frozen for later use if they made too much for a single sitting. 

Chicken salad will keep in the freezer for up to three months, but — and this is a big "but" — it will never be as good as it once was after popping it in the freezer. Any fresh fruits or veggies in the dish will lose their crispiness when thawed, and goodies like nuts will likewise lose their attractive crunch. However, this isn't the paramount issue.

If you made the medley with mayo, expect it to separate and become watery – it may possibly even curdle. Yogurt bases will have the same problem and may take on an acidic taste. A runny, curdled chicken salad with limp veggies isn't all that appetizing, to say the least. While you can put a batch in an airtight container inside the ol' icebox, there are better ways to freeze the dish that won't result in an unappealing mess once it thaws.

Preparing the dish without its creamy base is an option to get the best quality out of it. Cook your poultry or pick of one of Costco's uber fresh rotisserie chickens  to save time — and once it's been allowed to cool to room temperature, dice it up and seal it in an airtight freezer bag. A light drizzle of olive oil will further protect the chicken while it's frozen, though don't bother with the pricier extra virgin olive oil as it's overkill for this purpose. The same can be done for ingredients like vegetables, grapes, and eggs. However, the produce will still lose some of its crunch, and the egg whites may be a bit rubbery when thawed. When you want to put the dish together, thaw all the frozen ingredients and mix the mayo in fresh.

While freezing all the components separately will salvage some of the quality — given the time to bag when storing and thaw when mixing — it will take more time and effort than making fresh. Chicken salad is simple fare that doesn't take much time to prepare. It's much better to plan ahead and make manageable batches of the dish you know will be eaten within its refrigeration window.