Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts

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Refreshing, creamy chicken salad with apples and walnuts is perfect for all seasons! Delicious for picnics, sandwiches, or a flavorful lunch.

Chicken salad is something I always have to make myself. Ordering any sort of tuna, egg, or chicken salad from a restaurant makes me so uncomfortable. I mean…how can you tell what’s in it?! It could be dog food for all you know!

But I also love a good chicken salad. Which means I’ve had lots of practice creating various chicken salad combinations to satisfy my own cravings.

Chicken salad in general is very light and summery. But this one uses crisp apples and earthy walnuts. So you can even get away with eating it in fall!

Jump to Recipe

TL;DR

• Cook two skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
• Once cooled, chop them into bite-sized cubes.
• Chop 1 apple, 2 celery sticks.
• Mince 3 tbsp fresh parsley and crush ¼ cup walnuts.
• Combine all together in a big bowl.
• Add in mayonnaise, mustard, juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and dill.
• Stir to coat.
• Serve alone, as a side, or on a sandwich!

How to make Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts

All you need is a knife, a cutting board, a bowl, and a spoon. The hardest part of the whole thing is all the chopping! You can choose how coarse or fine to chop your add-ins. I like bigger chunks, identifiable apples and celery pieces. But if you prefer smaller chunks, chop your fruit and veggies accordingly.

How to cook the Chicken

You’ll need about 4 cups of chicken, chopped. This usually amounts to 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs. I’m one of those strange people who likes white meat more than dark meat, so I always use chicken breasts. If you can find boneless and skinless ones at your store, these make everything much easier!

You can also use leftover chicken, especially if you’ve made a whole roast like this Crispy-Skinned Orange and Sage Roast Chicken. Just remember whatever seasoning/brine you used will be incorporated into your salad flavors too!

Seasoning the Chicken. 

If you’re cooking chicken fresh for this recipe, season as you wish but keep it fairly simple. You’ll be adding in lots of flavor to the salad, so don’t over season the chicken. You don’t need to worry too much about flavor. (And if you over-bake it a bit, that won’t matter too much either. Thank goodness for mayo!)

I used a bit of salt, some fresh ground black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. I also added a few poppy seeds because they pair so well with apples, mayo, lemon and summer dishes in general!

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Which Apples to use

Especially crisp apples are best for this recipe, but choose an apple variety you really enjoy. I prefer tart Winesaps, but they are best in the fall. For the summer months I usually use the equally tart Cortland, Lodi, or Braeburn apples.

How to store Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Chicken salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about 5 days. If you’re taking Chicken Salad on a picnic, use a mason jar or tightly-sealed tupperware. Store it next to the ice pack until ready to eat.

I do not recommend freezing chicken salad. What a disaster.

What to serve with Chicken Salad, Apples and Walnuts

Serving it alone, you can pair chicken salad with more veggie-heavy salads like this Watercress and Mandarin Orange Salad (which has a lemon poppy seed dressing that would pair perfectly with the chicken!) You could also try a Chicken Salad Sandwich with a Three Bean Pasta Salad. 

In the fall, use some extra apples to make these Chorizo and Cornbread Stuffed Apples on the side! And a Brown Butter Butternut Squash Soup always makes a perfect pairing for colder days.

What wines pair with Chicken Salad, Apples and Walnuts

You’ll want either very crisp or very full-bodied white wines. No in betweens! Try creamy Viognier or Chardonnay to pair with the mayonnaise. Or go for a crisp Vinho Verde to cut the creamier flavors.