Can You Freeze Chicken Salad? Here’s Why We Don’t Recommend It

Chicken salad recipes are among our favorite meal prep options. Not to be confused with leafy salads that are topped with chicken, we’re referring to the creamy, scoopable deli kind. What’s not to love? It’s customizable, high in protein, a cinch to toss together in a large batch. We’ve been known to enjoy it on toast, as a sandwich (with bread, a croissant, or a bagel as the vessel), in a wrap, in lettuce cups, scooped up with crackers, or simply savored by the spoonful.

Sometimes, we get so enthused about chicken salads that we overestimate how much we can polish off before it’s past its prime. (The USDA recommends finishing or tossing any extras after 3 to 4 days of refrigerator storage.) With that in mind, we were wondering, “can you freeze chicken salad?”

Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?

You sure can, but this thumbs up comes with a major caveat.

“Although your favorite chicken salad can be frozen, once thawed, it will never be as good as when it was fresh. Mayonnaise, celery, onions, and other essential chicken salad ingredients really don’t do well in the freezer,” says Sarah Brekke, M.S., Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen brand manager.

The mix-ins will lose their crisp, however, the real villain in this story is mayonnaise. Although it’s a brilliant option for adding flavor and richness to everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to deviled eggs, mayo doesn’t freeze well, adds Meredith Carothers, food safety specialist for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in Washington D.C.. The texture changes, and it can separate and end up curdled and/or watery. 

“This means that chicken salad—along with tuna and macaroni salads—likely won’t freeze the best quality-wise. Safety-wise, you can freeze anything and it will remain safe from the growth of foodborne illness and spoilage bacteria,” Carothers says.

For this reason, there are actually more risks if you do plan on extended storage and don’t freeze chicken salad. If you leave chicken salad out at room temp or in the refrigerator for too long, bacteria can multiply, Carothers explains. Freezing is a far better bet than risking a potential food safety issue by diving into your chicken salad after a full week in the fridge.

“Chicken salad should be consumed or discarded within 3 to 4 days after preparation or opening. If left longer than that, it can start to spoil,” Carothers says. “If left at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or more than 1 hour if it’s in an environment over 90° F), foodborne illness bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels and can get you sick.”

How to Freeze Chicken Salad (If You Choose to Do So)

If you plan ahead, you can freeze chicken salad and have much better results, Carothers and Brekke agree.

“If chicken salad doesn’t have mayonnaise, it will freeze better,” Carothers says. 

Brekke walks us through the best case scenario for freezing chicken salad:

• Follow your favorite chicken salad recipe (we’re fond of this Tarragon Chicken Salad with Cranberries), but don’t mix in the mayo. Lightly toss the ingredients with a small drizzle of olive oil to protect the exterior of the chicken salad ingredients from the harsh elements of the freezer.
• Transfer the mayo-free chicken salad recipe to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight storage container with a tight lid.
• Seal and label with the name and date, then freeze for up to 3 months.
• Follow the instructions below for how to thaw chicken salad, drain off any excess liquid, then mix with your mayo and serve.

If the ingredients have already been mixed with mayo, keep in mind that it’s wise to pop any portions that you will be freezing into the freezer ASAP: “Get the chicken salad into the freezer within 3 to 4 days; the sooner the better to ensure it hasn’t started to spoil,” Carothers says.

Transfer the fully-prepared chicken salad to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight storage container, then seal and label, Brekke suggests. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

“Thaw before serving, and as you do, we recommend adjusting your expectations. It will be watery, the mayo may be ‘broken,’ and the vegetables will have lost their crispness,” Brekke warns.

How to Thaw Frozen Chicken Salad

Although it does take some time—about 24 hours or so—“the safest thawing method is always in the refrigerator, because it ensures it stays at a safe temperature while thawing,” Carothers says. “You can also thaw in the microwave on the defrost setting, but this may also heat up the chicken salad a little and further separate the mayonnaise, which is not exactly desirable. The refrigerator is probably your best bet.”

Brekke coaches us through how to thaw chicken salad: Place the bag or container of frozen chicken salad in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw slowly at least overnight; ideally, about 24 hours.

How to Tell if Chicken Salad Has Gone Bad

Whether you’ve thawed your once-frozen chicken salad or are checking in on your refrigerated chicken salad, Brekke and Carothers share a refresher on the signs of spoilage:

• Color change
• Slimy, sticky texture
• Mold
• “Off” flavors or smells

A few more words of warning: “Frozen and thawed chicken salad will also likely have some texture and flavor changes that can make it more challenging to discern if these changes are from spoilage or the freezing and thawing process,” Brekke says. “Again, we just don’t recommend trying to freeze it in the first place. Fresh is best.”

Alternatives to Freezing Chicken Salad

If you’d rather not risk the potential disappointment of watery, mushy chicken salad, we have additional options for our fellow chicken salad fans. 

• Outsource the prep. Of course, you could buy chicken salad from a local deli, restaurant, or a supermarket. 
• Invest in pre-cooked chicken. Or consider investing in a rotisserie chicken the day before or the day you plan to enjoy your chicken salad. Depending on the size of your bird, that shortcut will save 1 to 2 hours (if you were roasting a whole chicken to use as the base). Then you can combine it with mayo or Greek yogurt and your desired mix-ins. If you start with cooked chicken, our classic Chicken Salad recipe takes just 15 minutes to toss together.
• Freeze the bird. If you have extra cooked chicken and dream of making chicken salad down the road, you can set yourself up for success by following our guide for how to boil chicken. Cook, cool, then shred or dice the chicken, then transfer it to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight food storage container. Seal, label, and date, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw it for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then proceed with your chicken salad recipe.