Chicken salad is one of the most well-known recipes but can you freeze chicken salad to keep it longer? Find the answer below and the easy way and tips to freeze it.
If you were to write a list with basic recipes everyone should know, chicken salad would be amongst the Top 10.
The popularity of chicken salad lays in the fact that not only is it delicious and nutritious but it’s also quite easy to make, as it uses readily available ingredients and can be easily adapted to include ingredients you might already have at home.
If there’s a downside to just how easy it is to make this delicious dish, is the fact that too often you’ll get carried away when making it and end up making way too much.
Sure, you can repurpose chicken salad to make sandwiches, subs, patties, casseroles and other dishes but chicken salad can only stretch so much.
Eventually, whether you want to or not, you’ll end up having to toss away the leftovers…right?
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Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?
Chicken salad lovers (and those who always end up making too much, no matter what) rejoice. Chicken salad can be frozen and it will last for a couple of months without losing flavor at all.
- Related article: What goes with chicken salad?
Best of all? Freezing it is very very easy and we’ll show you exactly what you need to do:
Things To Consider Before Freezing Chicken Salad
There are a couple of things you need to know before you attempt to freeze chicken salad:
- Skip the mayo if you plan on freezing your chicken salad. This will make it last longer.
- If you must use mayo, use a whipped salad dressing or a mayo substitute that doesn’t separate when thawed.
- The texture of your vegetables might chance, particularly if you’re using crispy veggies.
- If your chicken salad includes yoghurt, it might separate during the thawing process, just like mayo.
- Never freeze chicken salad that has been unrefrigerated for hours.
How To Freeze Chicken Salad?
Now that you know what to expect, these are the steps for freezing your chicken salad:
Step 1: Portion
If you have a lot of chicken salad leftovers, divide it in portions so you don’t risk food contamination by thawing and freezing again.
Step 2: Place in Bags
Place each of your portions in freezer safe bags and give them a good shake before placing in the freezer.
Another good practice is to write the date in which you froze your chicken salad and, if they’ve been sitting in the fridge, the day it was made.
Step 3: Freeze
Place your chicken salad bags in the freezer and keep them there until needed. Keep in the coldest part of the freezer for better results.
Frozen chicken salad can keep for up to 3 months, depending on the ingredients.
Step 4: Thawing
To thaw, simply move a chicken salad bag from the freezer to the fridge and leave it there overnight.
Avoid thawing on the counter, as this can help bacterial spread.
Step 5: Draining
Once your chicken salad has thawed, place in a strainer or plastic mesh to drain any excess water.
Step 6: Mixing
Once the excess water is gone, stir your chicken salad to integrate all the ingredients.
If your chicken salad is too watery, consider adding a bit of cornstarch.
You can also add mayo, fresh veggies and other ingredients to improve the taste.
The texture of your chicken salad might’ve changed after thawing it, so it’s better used for sandwiches, pie fillings, etc.
- Related article: Can You Freeze Potato Salad?
Tips To Freeze Chicken Salad
Freezing chicken salad is perfectly safe, but there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind to minimize bacterial growth.
- Never freeze chicken salad that has already started to go bad.
- Never freeze chicken salad that has been sitting uncovered or covered on the counter for several hours.
- Never re-freeze chicken salad once you’ve thawed it.
- Eat your thawed chicken salad within 2-3 days.
- If for some reason your chicken salad has gone unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours after you’ve thawed it, toss it away.
- If you can, use a vacuum sealer to ensure no air gets packaged before freezing. This will help your chicken salad stay crispy or crispier compared to non-vacuum sealed chicken salad.
And there you have it, that’s how you can freeze and thaw chicken salad.
Easy, right?
- Related article: Best manual meat grinder
Ah, if you don't know how to make chicken salad at home, check below video:
We hope you found our tutorial informative.
If you liked it or you have any advice for freezing chicken salad, let us know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!