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Why buy the expensive deli chicken salad when you can make our Copycat Willow Tree Chicken Salad at home? (It’s just as good!)
A few years back when I was pregnant with my daughter, I had food cravings like most pregnant woman do. One of my cravings was for Willow Tree chicken salad. Almost every day for lunch, I went to a little sandwich shop about a block away from my office, and I would get the exact same thing to eat: a Willow Tree chicken salad sandwich (and this sandwich shop specifically stated it was Willow Tree for good reason!) on sourdough bread, milk, and a piece of fruit.
Willow Tree Farm is a New England-area food company and poultry farm based out of Attleboro, Massachusetts, famous for their deli chicken salad and chicken pot pies. According to the Willow Tree website, they credit their chicken salad as one of the reasons the company has flourished over the years, and their products are also sold at grocery chains all along the East Coast of the United States.
My husband learned of my Willow Tree chicken salad craving – and being the sweetheart that he is – he set out to recreate this chicken salad recipe at home just for me. (It’s always important to keep a pregnant lady happy!) 😉
Jack started with the recipe found online here (someone else must have had a similar craving) but tweaked it further after reading the ingredients which the folks at Willow Tree were nice enough to list on their website as well. I think Jack has come pretty close with the recipe we’ve listed below. Enjoy!
A few last notes: This recipe was originally shared here on A Family Feast in November 2012. We’ve updated the original photo (you can see that below – our food photography has definitely improved over the years) and we included a video as well (see above). Our readers love this recipe – even those readers who never tasted the original Willow Tree version!
I do also want to thank the folks at Willow Tree for being such great sports about this copycat recipe. As you can see in the comments below, the folks at Willow Tree have been following along with our readers’ comments and closely guarding the family’s real chicken salad recipe!
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Copycat Willow Tree Chicken Salad
A copycat recipe of the famous Willow Tree chicken salad.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breast
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons finely minced celery
- 3 tablespoons finely minced onion
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, blend chicken breasts until thoroughly shredded, or shred by hand. (Note: Shredded chicken rather than diced chicken pieces will help recreate the original Willow Tree chicken salad texture.)
- Remove bowl from the stand mixer and add in all other ingredients. Stir by hand to mix well.
- Serve over lettuce leaves or in sandwiches.
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Awesome chicken salad I tried and it was delicious mam I also make chicken mayo with touch of salt and black pepper pwdr and apply on brown or white sliced brd.with some shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes, shereded bloosom cabbage as well toast it and serve with crispy potato wafers.
Sound delicious Ramesh!
Hi, how do you cook your chicken for this recipe- boil, bake or pressure cook? And for how long?
Hi Hinal – You can use any method you’d like. We often poach the chicken using this method: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/sunday-cooking-lesson-perfect-poached-chicken/
is the copycat willow tree chicken salad the original chicken salad?
Hi – It’s our attempt at recreating the Willow Tree Chicken Salad at home – and we think we’ve come close – but we don’t know the exact deli recipe. Hope you’ll give it a try!
This really hit the spot. I was searching for a chicken salad recipe that was just a bit different and this one really stood out. Made half a recipe and it worked out great!
Glad you liked it Sally!
Martha,
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It’s so fun to make this and other copycat recipes. Friends are always surprised when they find out .
Do you have a recipe for mushroom risotto? There is one from Daniella’s Restaurant that is better than any I have tasted. Sure would love that “copycat” recipe.
Well, thanks for your excellent recipes and website!
Thank YOU Mary! We do have a Mushroom Risotto recipe: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/mushroom-risotto/ – I’m not familiar with Daniella’s Restaurant or their risotto, so hopefully our recipe is a close copycat!
How did she cook the chicken, because how that is processed will have a lot to do with the flavor of the chicken. You need to infuse flavor in chicken when it’s cooking or you will never get a good flavor later
Great point Jean – we sometimes poach our chicken specifically for this recipe (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/sunday-cooking-lesson-perfect-poached-chicken/) but we’ve also used a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket or roasted it ourselves at home (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/perfect-herb-roasted-chicken/) – hope that helps!
I can’t rate your recipe as of yet, but I’m about to visit my father. He’s turning 70 years old and we haven’t had willow tree chicken salad since I was 14, omg 29 years ago. 😪.
I’ve been racking my brains about what to get or do for him that makes him smile so big, he can’t help but tear up and now… thanks to you, I’m going to give it a go.
As a girl, trips to Pawtucket and Cape Cod, are reminiscent of Willow Tree chicken sandwiches on peppridge farm bread, playing old maid with my grandma, her laughing because she’s cheating. Let’s not forget about the chips and ginger ale.
I’m gonna make this for him at his party on Saturday. I cannot wait, so thank you so much for this. If I don’t completely botch it up, you will have made many happy people.
Oh Melissa…I hope you all love the recipe!
I have a function that I have to make mini deli sandwiches for and I decided to make this recipe. After I made it; and sampled it; I have to say this is an excellent copy recipe. It definitely tastes like the chicken salad that I buy at the Deli. I will be making this again,
Glad you liked the recipe Charlene!
This is hands down my go-to chicken salad recipe. I’m a Californian, so I’ve never had Willow Tree, but this recipe makes me want to take a trip and visit one. 🙂
🙂 Glad you are enjoying the recipe Samm!
Love this! Thank you for posting! I moved from Rhode Island to Tennessee 13 years ago and have not had willow tree since then. I will definitely make this again in the not too distant future.
We hope our version is as good as you remember Julie!