The best premade chicken salad is meaty, creamy, and flavorful. It should be peppered with tasty mix-ins like fruit, nuts, veggies, and/or eggs to give it a nice texture. The mayonnaise-y base should be plentiful. It should be absolutely delicious smeared between two slices of bread.
I love chicken salad and I’m almost always in the mood for it. Something about the creamy, cold, crunchy meatiness of it all is so tasty. I can eat it on white bread, crackers, lettuce cups, or just on its own.
There are more varieties of premade chicken salad available at the grocery store than you might realize. We tried all the best store bought chicken salad options to determine which you should buy when a premade chicken salad craving hits. These were our favorites!
- Trader Joe’s
This chicken salad has pieces of carrot in it. Freaky, right? It was, shockingly, delicious. If you’re looking for a super savory chicken salad, this is the chicken salad for you! It’s really creamy and black peppery and there’s no sweetness whatsoever. Don’t get confused and accidentally buy their curry chicken salad. It’s not very good. This is the Trader Joe’s chicken salad and it’s one of the best store bought chicken salad options out there.
Related: Here’s What Trader Joe’s Product You Are Based on Your Zodiac SignCredit: Liv Averett
- Great Value Chicken Salad With Cranberries, Celery & Pecans
Great Value knows chicken salad. They have their chicken salad recipes on lock. In my opinion, if you buy one thing at Walmart, it should be chicken salad. This version with cranberries, celery, and pecans is one of the best premade chicken salad varieties, especially if you like chicken salad with fruit in it. It’s not my favorite Great Value chicken salad, but it’s definitely up there in terms of the best store bought chicken salad.
Related: Best Great Value Foods to Buy at WalmartCredit: Merc / Walmart
- Great Value Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Salad
The rotisserie seasoned chicken salad from Great Value is damn good. What is “rotisserie seasoned”? I don’t really know. I guess they made it from rotisserie chicken and it’s seasoned like a rotisserie chicken? Which I think is seasoned with salt and pepper? So is this salt and pepper chicken salad? Isn’t all chicken salad salt and pepper chicken salad? It’s confusing. None of those questions matter, though. Just buy this incredibly savory and creamy chicken salad because it is our runner-up for the best premade chicken salad.
Related: What to Eat with Rotisserie ChickenCredit: Merc / Walmart
- Great Value Southern-Style Chicken Salad
This is the best premade chicken salad you can buy at the store. It is so freaking good. We stood in the Sporked kitchen and ate this with potato chips well after the “best store bought chicken salad” taste test had ended. It is the most perfectly balanced chicken salad to ever grace a grocery store shelf. It is salty, has the slightest sweetness, plenty of crunch, and tons of shredded chicken. It even has a little hard boiled egg, which I didn’t think I’d like but I did! The next time you want chicken salad, head straight to Walmart because they are doing a great job with it over there.
Related: Best Potato Chips: The 7 Best from Our Taste Tests
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Savory
Best Sweet
Best Runner-Up
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried: Reser’s, Trader Joe’s Curry Chicken Salad, Starkist, Good & Gather Rosemary Chicken Salad, Good & Gather Rotisserie Chicken Salad, Good & Gather Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
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