Hurley House has been making and serving our signature Lemon Basil Chicken Salad for three years, and today I am thrilled to share the recipe with you!

If I have heard it once, I have heard it one hundred times. “I didn’t like chicken salad until I tried this one!” Truly, this is the chicken salad for people who think they don’t like chicken salad. Fresh chicken, a light dressing, and pops of green peas make this chicken salad stand out.

I think a lack of gloppiness (is that a word?) makes Lemon Basil Chicken Salad widely accepted, even among chicken salad haters. People who dislike chicken salad tend to be turned off by gobs of mayo-heavy sauce, which I can appreciate.

Lemon Basil Chicken Salad is not mayo-heavy. It is very fresh, very light, and packed with a lot of lemony goodness that redeems any bad past experiences with over-sauced chicken salad.

As a final note, if you’re taking a meal to someone, why not try a big container of Lemon Basil Chicken Salad, a loaf of Banana Bread, and fresh fruit. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise I like Hellman’s
1 tablespoon pesto
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds cooked chicken cubed or shredded
1 bunch of fresh basil chopped
10 oz frozen peas thawed

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until fully mixed.
Add the cooked chicken, chopped basil, and green peas. Gently stir to combine everything!Note: If you are making this and storing it, you do not need to thaw the peas before adding.

Hurley House Lemon Basil Chicken Salad