Description
Apple Chicken Salad is an easy and healthy recipe packed with tender chicken and crisp apples and crunchy celery and toasted pecans. A quick and simple creamy dressing brings every bite together while fresh greens keep it light. It is one of the best ideas for meal prep and brunch and a weeknight dinner and a holiday potluck or party because it can be served in wraps and sandwiches or lettuce cups with very little effort.
Ingredients
- 2 medium breasts or about 1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon divided Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon divided Black pepper
- 1 large apple Crisp red apple
- 2 medium stalks Celery
- 1 cup Red grapes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Red onion
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped Pecans
- 1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Honey
- 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped Fresh parsley
- 8 large leaves Butter lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Coat exactly 2 chicken breasts with olive oil and part of the salt and black pepper. Place them in the skillet with uneven spacing so their edges do not form a neat pattern. Cook until the lower surfaces develop scattered golden patches and then flip and shift both breasts toward the center. Continue cooking until the centers are fully cooked and the outside has irregular browned areas.
- Let the 2 cooked chicken breasts cool enough to handle and cut them into irregular bite sized pieces. Cut the apple into uneven cubes and slice the celery while halving the grapes and finely chopping the red onion. Keep the components in loose separate clusters with natural overlap. The cooked chicken should show pale juicy centers and scattered golden edges while the produce remains crisp and brightly colored.
- Combine the Greek yogurt and mayonnaise with Dijon mustard and honey and lemon juice. Add the remaining salt and black pepper before mixing until the separate white and golden streaks become one thick pale dressing. The finished mixture should look smooth yet naturally swirled rather than perfectly flat. Small mustard and pepper flecks should remain visible throughout the creamy base.
- Transfer the chopped chicken and apple and celery and grapes and red onion into the creamy dressing. Fold everything together until the dressing clings lightly to the irregular pieces without hiding their colors and textures. Scatter in the chopped pecans and parsley before folding once more. The mixture should become chunky and cohesive with visible red apple skin and purple grapes and green celery and golden chicken spread unevenly through the bowl.
- Arrange 2 butter lettuce leaves with natural overlap on a white plate for one serving. Scoop one quarter of the Apple Chicken Salad onto the leaves and allow a few apple cubes and grape halves and pecan pieces to remain visible near the edges. Finish with a light scattering of parsley. Keep the portion loosely piled with uneven height and natural creamy streaks so it looks freshly made and homemade.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Choose a crisp apple such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady so the pieces stay firm after they are folded into the dressing.
- Cool the cooked chicken before mixing because warm chicken can thin the dressing and soften the fresh apple and celery.
- Toast the chopped pecans briefly for deeper flavor and let them cool completely before adding them to the creamy salad.
- Keep the lettuce separate during meal prep and assemble each portion before eating so every leaf stays fresh and crisp.
Storage: Store the Apple Chicken Salad in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep it chilled and use it within three days for the freshest flavor and texture. Store the butter lettuce leaves separately with a dry paper towel. This prevents the leaves from absorbing dressing and becoming soft before serving. Stir the salad gently before portioning because a small amount of moisture can settle during storage. Add a few fresh pecans after stirring when extra crunch is desired. Do not freeze the assembled salad because the creamy dressing can separate and the apple and celery can lose their crisp texture after thawing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 lettuce cup portion
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 612mg
- Fat: 25g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 86mg