This cranberry apple chicken salad is packed full of crunchy apples, toasted walnuts, sweet dried cranberries, and dressed in a tangy Greek yogurt dressing. – serve over greens, in a wrap, or in your favorite sandwich bun!
Fall’s version of chicken salad is in the house!! And she is dressed to impress, let me tell you.
Chicken salad always feels like a summery food to me so I set out to change that and make fall lunches more than just hot sandwiches and soups.
And y’all, this salad is about the best thing to ever grace your lunch bag.
It’s got SO much fall goodness loaded into one bowl, you won’t even mind it’s a cold lunch!
Dare I say, it would even be good with leftover turkey if you’re starting to think about Thanksgiving that’s fast approaching. (scary, I know)
This Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad features…
- Juicy chicken cubes paired with crisp apples, walnuts, and celery
- Sweet dried cranberries
- A tangy, incredibly creamy Greek yogurt dressing
Making the Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cooked chicken
- Greek yogurt
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Mayonnaise
- Celery
- Apples
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped walnuts
- Fresh herbs
How to Prep Chicken For Salad
Any leftover cooked chicken works great in this recipe! You can shred it, cube it, whatever you want.
A few of our favorite ways to prep chicken for this salad. –>
- Poached chicken breasts/thighs
- Roasted chicken breasts/thighs
- Rotisserie chicken
Tips for Perfect Chicken Salad
- Use leftover cooked chicken – this speeds up the prep for this salad!
- Replace some of mayo with Greek yogurt – this makes the dressing SO incredibly creamy and a little on the lighter side!
- Load up salad with lots of texture – apples, walnuts, and celery give this salad a lovely crunch, while dried cranberries provide a sweet chewy kick.
- Assemble salad just before serving – we recommend last-minute assembly for best results! It keeps the walnuts crunchy and prevents the apples from turning brown. You can assemble all the components ahead of time for easy assembly!
Recipe Variations
A few of our favorite twists on this salad –>
- Try another dried fruit – dried apricots, raisins, blueberries, or dates would be a great stand-in for the cranberries!
- Swap out the walnuts – pecans, almonds, or even candied nuts would be a great substitute for the walnuts.
- Use extra fresh herbs – minced rosemary, fresh basil, etc.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
There are so many ways you can serve this chicken salad. Check out our favorites!
- In a lettuce wrap
- Tucked into a tortilla with fresh greens
- Piled over spring green mix
- Stuffed into a sandwich bun
The TEXTURES in this salad really just seal the whole deal. The crunchy apples, juicy chicken, toasty walnuts, chewy cranberries, creamy dressing….ahhh it’s just the dream team of lunch salads.
Whether you’re eating it stuffed into a sandwich or straight from the mixing bowl, I promise there’s really no going wrong here.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven
A few more lunch favorites to pick from next!
Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
Chicken Salad
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup apple, cut into 1/2-in chunks (about 1 large apple)
- 1/2 cup celery, cut into 1/2-in chunks (about 1 large rib)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- Mixed greens, butter lettuce leaves, or sandwich buns for serving
Instructions
Chicken Salad
- In a small bowl, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, and lemon juice until smooth. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large serving bowl, combine chicken, apple, celery, cranberries, walnuts, thyme, parsley, and dressing until salad is evenly incorporated.
- Serve salad immediately over greens, in butter lettuce leaves, or sandwich buns. Enjoy!
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