Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

Apple walnut chicken salad is a great lunch or light dinner recipe that your family will love to eat! Packed full of flavor, and quick to put together, this is the type of recipe that becomes an old family favorite.

 

Why We Love Creamy Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

• Perfect For A Quick And Easy Lunch – Whether you’re packing a lunch for a lunchbox, or just need a quick lunch for the family, this apple walnut is quick and easy for a delicious lunch or even a light dinner. This recipe comes together pretty fast. You can even use my new favorite chopper I learned about the clock app to make chopping faster!
• Easy To Mix Up – Serve this chicken salad on a big fluffy croissant or between two hearty slices of wheat bread, but you can also enjoy it with crackers or wrap it in crisp pieces of lettuce. The recipe itself is also pretty flexible, and you can easily adjust ingredients for your own tastes but starts with a lot of flavor.
• Great For A Party – I would totally make this recipe for a baby shower or a graduation party. You do need to keep it cold if it is especially warm outside, but it is always a hit.

I first made cranberry pecan chicken salad which was my go to recipe, I love the flavor combo. Mixing things up is always good though, so I like to rotate this recipe out with the cranberry version when I meal prep for lunches. Also try the egg salad recipe for another easy lunch.

Ingredients For Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

• chicken – cooked boneless chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs, rotisserie chicken works as does shredded chicken if you prefer. You can also use leftover grilled chicken.
• granny smith apple peeled and diced
• walnuts chopped
• green onion sliced, you could also swap in a little diced red onion if you prefer and it’s delicious!
• celery sliced thin
• mayonnaise
• lemon juice – about one medium lemon
• Dijon mustard – don’t use regular yellow mustard!
• honey
• garlic powder
• salt
• black pepper

How To Make This Chicken Salad Recipe

1. Chop the chicken, apple, walnuts, celery and green onions into small bite sized pieces. The celery especially is best if chopped small and thinner.
2. In a large bowl, add chicken, apple, walnuts, celery, and green onion and mix together well.

3. In a second smaller bowl, add mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend this mixture well with a whisk or fork.

4. Pour the dressing mixture over chicken, apples and walnuts mixture. With a spoon, mix in the dressing until the chicken and vegetables are evenly coated.

5. Scoop and enjoy! Add to croissants or fluffy rolls, or enjoy all by itself.

Variation Ideas

Swap The Bread – Serve this chicken salad on a croissant, fluffy roll, or between two toasted pieces of chewy bread for the most delicious chicken salad sandwiches. No bread? Try dipping crackers for an easy lunch.

Scoop With Veggies – Those mini bell peppers are the perfect vessel to dip and hold this chicken salad, and add plenty of extra crunch. You can also top cucumber slices, or scoop with carrot chips or baby carrots.

Try A Wrap– Wrap this tender chicken salad in a tortilla with some crunchy lettuce for a delicious meal, or make a lettuce wrap and enjoy.

Try Different Nuts– I’ve used walnuts, but almonds, pecans or cashews are also a great addition. Or drop the nuts all together if you have allergies.

Lighten It Up– You can swap plain greek yogurt for the mayo in this recipe for a slightly lighter version.

Play With Fruit– Fresh grapes are classic in chicken salad, and are delicious in this chicken salad recipe too.

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken Or Make Chicken On The Grill?

Yes absolutely, any cooked chicken works well for this recipe.

Can I Freeze This Chicken Apple Salad?

I don’t recommend freezing chicken salad, it tastes best when mixed up fresh.

How Long Will This Chicken Salad With Apples Last?

Expect this chicken salad will last for about three to four days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

With the mayonnaise in the salad, it does need to be in a lunchbox or cooler with ice to make sure it does not spoil faster.

It should be discarded if it is left at room temperature for more then about two hours. If it is a warmer day, expect that the chicken salad will need to be kept on ice, in a cooler or refrigerator, or only out on a party platter for about an hour safely. Both the mayo or the chicken in any cold salad like this can spoil faster if left out on a warm day.