How Much Chicken Salad Per Person For A Crowd

How Much Chicken Salad Per Person for A Big Group

Summer Chicken salad is one of the most popular salads at a memorial day BBQ or a friend’s baby shower, especially when put inside croissants.

See our handy table of exactly how much chicken salad per person from 10 to 100 people.

Also, see our top 20 pairings of what to serve with chicken salad in 2024. Also when making this dish for a big crowd how far in advance can you make chicken salad?

If you want to impress people with your cooking skills, then this chicken salad recipe is perfect for you. It is easy to prepare and delicious too. This salad is very versatile as well. You can use any kind of bread instead of a croissant. You can even add some fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

You might also be interested in our other salad articles on potato salad – how much per person and how much pasta salad to buy for a big group. We also have a master page with many other popular foods and suggested serving sizes. Plus a Salads For A Crowd – How To choose the right one.

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What are the main Ingredients For Chicken Salad?

Chicken salad is made up of about 50% chicken breast and other ingredients like celery, nuts, grapes parsley or your own special ingredients.

How Much Chicken Salad Per Person

How Do You Calculate Chicken Salad per Person? – As a rule of thumb, approximately 0.75 of a cup is a safe amount to serve per person.

But the above is only approximate, and you need to decide is it a main or side dish or are you having it as part of a salad bar. Each of these will slightly different amount to serve folks.

Tuna salad can also be substituted for chicken salad, or used as a partner.

A Handy Table of How Much Chicken Salad Per Person 10 to 100 people

If you’re serving Chicken salad alongside other foods, then you can reduce the total amount needed. It will need to be an estimate – but when serving with 2 other main salad choices you can reduce the quantities below by 30 percent.

What Is Chicken Salad Serving Size per Person

3/4 cup or around 8 oz is a safe amount to work on serving guests. If you are having a party that goes on all day or you know your guests love chicken salad you may need to increase the amounts by 20 percent.

How Do You Calculate Chicken Salad per Person?

Calculate first by looking at your guest list and if they are known to you this may give you some idea as to the quantities that may be consumed. For example, if there are lots of families bringing kids they tend to not eat as much chicken salad, but go for mac and cheese-based salad.

Also, look at the event type – a SuperBowl party might last for more than 3 hours – if it is people tend to go back for seconds. Similarly, with buffet service, you will find people tend to take more.

Lastly if in doubt, you should always plan for extra servings so you don’t run out before everyone gets their share.

How Can I Make My Chicken Salad Go Further

We all want to make a budget chicken salad for a large group – it just makes sense. 

There are many ways when you want to stretch your chicken salad and make it feed more people for less money.

Start by thinking about what components you may have in or pantry already. Adding additional ingredients that you have already purchased but not used is the most economical way to make a chicken salad go further.

Here are some common and easily found ingredients you can try

• celery
• onions
• grapes
• mandarin oranges
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• nuts
• croutons

these all increase the salad bulk or volume but they do not sacrifice flavor.

Another good idea you can do just before you serve up is to add sliced or diced fresh vegetables. They give the salad a fresh look and often add a crunch and texture to it.

Some examples are

• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• beans

 Top Tip to Make Your Chicken Salad Go Further for 2024

Either preserve your chicken salad into small environmentally friendly containers or provide a medium size scoop. Do not provide a big spoon or ladle it is just too easy for guests to take heaps and often results in a lot being left on their plates.  For Scoop size I would suggest size 16 is not too big as to waste the salad, but also not too small as to have the guest go for multiple scoops.

Using a scoop which pre measures the dish for you is great in controlling the portion sizes especially when serving sandwiches, croissants or even just plates. Controlling how much each guest self serves really makes your catering budget go firther.

Tips on Making Chunky Chicken Salad Extra Tasty

Use your favorite breading mix or just plain seasoned breadcrumbs, crumbling the chicken provides a different taste – but you can not easily prepare this too far ahead of time. Mix together the spices, herbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Coat the chicken in the spice mixture.

Can I Make Chicken Salad Ahead of Time for A Party

You can make components of the Chicken Salad ahead of time but do no mix the final bowl until the day of the party. You can actually cook the meat well ahead of time and even freeze it.

How Long Does Chicken Salad Last in The Fridge?

Chicken salad lasts for around 3-4 days in the fridge.  However, it must be covered with an air-tight lid.

How much Chicken Salad for Different Events and Occasions

Serving sizes matter and should be increased accordingly.

• It’s always better to have too much than too little.
• Don’t forget to make sure there will be enough for leftovers.

How Much Creamy Chicken Salad For 10 People

You can make the chicken salad more creamy with the addition of sour cream and plain yogurt. and for 10 people you will need about 7-8 cups when it is served as a main on a plate with some other sides or possibly salad greens.

Serving Ideas for Chicken Salad

• Serve Chicken salad in individual cups or bowls to control the amount served.
• Use a medium spoon (not a ladle or big spoon) so as to serve more people.
• Add hard-boiled eggs or grape tomatoes to add color and flavor.

How do you keep Chicken Salad Sandwiches or Croissants fresh?

The best way is to have the bread buttered and seasoned with a little salt and pepper. If you are using Croissants pre-cut them into halves. Then right before the guests arrive fill them with the chicken salad and garnish for color.

How many does a pound of chicken salad feed?

A pound of chicken salad will feed 2 people as a main. If you are filling croissants – be generous and you should get about 6.

How many ounces is a chicken salad sandwich?

 A chicken salad sandwich should contain about 3 oz of chicken salad plus the bread. Of course, sourdough bread will weigh more than thinly sliced sandwich bread.

How much chicken salad in a single scoop?

 In a single (no 16 ) scoop, there are approximately 1.8-2 ounces.