If there’s one kind of dish that feels like it’s been around forever, it’s a simple chicken salad like this one. Carolina Chicken Salad is the kind of recipe you can picture written on a well-worn index card, pulled out for church lunches, picnics, and family gatherings. It’s not fancy or fussy, just good homemade food that everyone can appreciate.

Instead of being heavy or overly creamy, it has a little tang and balance that keeps you coming back for another bite. It’s the kind of chicken salad grandmas knew how to make by memory. Simple ingredients, mixed together the way they’ve always been.

This is also the kind of recipe that fits right into everyday life. It comes together quickly, makes good use of cooked chicken, and can be made ahead without any trouble. Serve it on bread, scoop it onto crackers, or pile it onto a bed of lettuce, it works just about anywhere you put it.

Carolina Chicken Salad proves that you don’t need a long ingredient list or complicated steps to make something delicious. It’s humble, comforting, and familiar in the best way. Just the sort of Southern staple that reminds you how good simple food can be.