I’m kind of obsessed with chicken salad lately. It’s easy to prepare, super filling, and the perfect cold meal during these hot summer months. I especially love this chicken salad with apples because it’s full of sweet and crunchy apples, sweet-tart dried cranberries, and a simple homemade dressing that has a bright fresh flavor thanks to the addition of yogurt. And as usual, there are plenty of ways you can add to or swap out ingredients in this recipe. So keep reading for ideas!
What Kind of Cooked Chicken to Use
I cooked up some fresh chicken breasts just before making my chicken salad (see the step by step photos below the recipe). But you can use any pre-cooked chicken like, poached chicken, baked chicken, or rotisserie chicken. If using rotisserie chicken, simply pull the meat from the bone, remove the skin, and give the meat a rough chop. You’ll need about 3 cups of chopped chicken for this recipe. You can also use canned chicken breast, if needed, although that option will have the least desirable texture and flavor of the three options.
What Else Can I Add to My Chicken Salad?
Chicken salad is so flexible. Nuts pair really well with the flavors of this salad, so you can try adding some almonds or chopped pecans. Finely diced celery adds a nice crunch and fresh herbs make the flavor nice and lively (basil, terragon, chives). And if you don’t have dried cranberries, golden raisins or red grapes also work really well in this recipe.
How Long Does it Last?
This salad is usually good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, but it can vary depending on the freshness of your chicken and the conditions inside your refrigerator. This salad should not be frozen.
How to Serve
You can serve chicken salad several different ways. The most common is as a chicken salad sandwich and you can do this on your favorite bread, on a croissant (like in the photos), or in a wrap. It’s also a great topper for a green salad, or you can serve it with crackers and a delicious dip (you might want to chop the chicken and apples a little smaller in that case).
Love chicken salad? You might also like Curry Chicken Salad, Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad, or our Traditional Chicken Salad.
Chicken Salad with Apples
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken ($7.97)
- 1 apple (1.5 cups chopped) ($0.76)
- 1/4 cup diced red onion ($0.20)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries ($0.22)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.53)
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt ($0.35)
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.18)
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Chop the cooked chicken and the apple into small pieces. Finely dice the red onion.
- Place the chicken, apple, onion, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.
- Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients in the bowl and stir until everything is coated. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Nutrition
Video
How to Make Chicken Salad with Apples – Step By Step Photos
You’ll need about 3 cups chopped cooked chicken for this recipe, so if you’re not using rotisserie chicken, you’ll want to cook some chicken first. I used two chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total). I filleted each breast in half to make two thinner pieces, which helps them cook more quickly and evenly. Then I just cooked them in a skillet with a little oil over medium heat until they were golden brown on each side and cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Allow the chicken to cool for 5-10 minutes before chopping it into small pieces.
Chop one apple into small pieces (about 1.5 cups). You’ll probably want to use a variety of apple that is sweet or sweet-tart, like a Fuji or Gala. Also finely dice about ¼ cup red onion.
Add the chopped chicken, diced apple, diced red onion, and ¼ cup dried cranberries to a bowl.
To make the salad dressing, combine ⅓ cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup plain yogurt, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper. Stir until evenly combined and smooth.
Pour the prepared dressing over top of the salad ingredients.
Stir until the salad ingredients are combined and coated with dressing. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat.
I stumbled across this recipe on a hunt for a lower fat chicken salad recipe, and I must say I am impressed! Especially since not only did I think it was tasty, but my husband LOVES it. (I haven’t told him yet it’s low fat.) I did use leftover turkey breast instead of chicken, since I decided to roast one of my “Thanksgiving Sale” turkeys that I had in the deep freezer in the middle of June. Next time I make it I will switch the dried cranberries for fresh grapes, just because I’m not a huge fan of dried fruits, and possibly add a stalk or two of diced celery. This recipe is AMAZING exactly as written though and I definitely recommend trying it as is before making adjustments to your liking!
This was delicious! I used leftover roasted chicken and everyone raved over this salad! Definitely a keeper 🙌
Try using miracle whip instead of mayo; love nuts in mine too; and sprinkle dill for added taste imo. Generally i dont add vinegar though.
I’m glad to see that one reviewer used raisins instead of cranberries. I have those in the house. Sounds delicious…will comment when I make this salad!
Easy & delicious! This recipe came in hand when I needed to quickly prepare lunch for the next day. Thanks for all of your great and helpful recipes!
On a month-long no-spend challenge over here! This was a great way to use up canned chicken that I had been sitting around in my pantry for too long (1 can is about 1 breast). I admit I added a pinch of sugar, but I don’t think it needs it. Once I ran out of bread for sandwiches, I mixed it in with some cooked penne for a sweeter, fruitier pasta salad.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I cooked my chicken in the instapot for 8 minutes.
I love chicken salad and this was delicious! I added almonds and chopped celery for more crunch. I also used green onions since I didn’t have any red onion. Another fabulous recipe!
I made this to take for lunch at work and loved it! I added some peanuts in at the last minute before eating, and a squeeze of a lemon slice. Yum! This was a nice change from what I normally bring in for lunch.
This is AMAZING. I used a cast iron pan for the chicken as I don’t own a grill. Pounded thin about 5 min each side (I used olive oil, worked just fine for me), added honey to the dressing as per your suggestion, and swapped out the cranberries for raisins (personal preference). Overall though, what a delicious snack.
How long does it stay good?
Probably about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Made this last night for dinner with a couple changes. My store didn’t have dried cranberries so I sliced some red grapes in half and threw them in instead. Also added a few chopped walnuts. Was delicious! Even my super picky husband loved it and took some with him to work today.
I don’t ever comment on recipes, but I made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing. It was a big hit even with the picky little eaters that I have. I just wanted to say thank you. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes…
How much would you consider a serving? About 1/2 cup?
Yep, you should get about 3 cups total.
Hi Beth
Your blog is my favourite one cause i’m following you all the way from Turkey.
And the other bloggers use a lot of fancy stuff which we don’t have over here.
But you just use everyday cheap stuff.
Amazes me every time.
Long post i know forgive me :-)
i did this amazing salad with green apples and spring onions but it was still delicious.