Original Article Published – 11/28/21

Chicken Salad

I love this Chicken Salad recipe. It has all my favorite parts of a chicken salad. The crunchy veggies, the nuts, sweet fruit, and chicken that’s flavorful and pulverized!

Prior to discovering food processed Chicken for Chicken Salads, I chopped, shredded, or kept huge pieces of chicken in the Chicken Salad mix and it’s just not as good as the food processor chicken chop! Trust me, food processor chopped chicken is the way to go!

Jacob and I love to make this recipe on the weekends to munch on as a snack with crackers or slapped in-between two slices of bread for a quick, easy, and tasty lunch during the work week. I’ll even eat this for breakfast in a bagel sandwich.

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Ingredients

Chicken: The base for this Chicken Salad is chicken! But I have had many vegan “Chichen Salads” that are absolutely phenomenal. Some chicken subs include tofu, soy curds, and chickpeas!

When I make chicken salad, I am often using leftover chicken or even leftover turkey. A tasty Turkey Salad after Thanksgiving inside some leftover rolls and cranberry sauce is a great way to enjoy leftover Turkey.

Apple: One of the key ingredients in this recipe is the apple. It is crunchy, sweet, and tart! I love how the apple tastes along with the mayo, yogurt, and lemony dressing. It’s sweet and savory!

Some other fruit choices to consider include pears, grapes, and raisins!

Pecan: Another key ingredient in this recipe is the pecans. Pecans are so yummy, crunchy, sweet, and buttery. They are perfect for matching with left-over turkey or chicken around the fall and winter! I know you have some leftover pecans from your pecan pie! Use them up in this recipe!

I used Mammoth Pecan Halves from Tennessee Valley Pecan Company, a small business in the Huntsville area.

The Other Ingredients in this Chicken Salad

Vegetables: Those who know me, know I love to put veggies in everything I cook. Not only do I absolutely love vegetables, but providing a variety of vegetables in the diet helps me obtain all the vitamins and minerals my body needs and craves.

I used celery, green onion, and a little non-traditional vegetable, daikon radish!

Herbs: Another very popular topic in my cooking, is the use of herbs!

I use dried Celery Seed, Tarragon, Thyme, and Marjoram. Two of the common ingredients (Thyme, Marjoram) in Herbs de Provence I also include dried tarragon, a typical herb used in chicken salad. Tarragon is a wonderful herb to use with delicate dishes like chicken and fish.

Dried Cranberries: The last part of this recipe is like the cherry on top of your ice cream sundae, or in this case, cranberries in the chicken salad. These are super tart and chewy bringing this chicken salad to bring it to a new level.

How to Make Chicken Salad

Chop: Chop your fruits, veggies, and chicken! Utilize a food processor to chop up the chicken, for the best textured chicken salad.

Mix: Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix with a rubber spatula. My favorite tool in the kitchen is a rubber spatula. It gets all the sauce from the side of the bowl making sure I am mixing my creation thoroughly.

How to Serve

Some ways to serve this yummy dish.

• In a lettuce or endive cup
• As a sandwich
• With crackers on a charcuterie board
• Or right out of a bowl

Chicken Salad BluePrint

A good Chicken Salad has three things: The Base, the add-ins, and the dressing. That’s it! Super easy right?

Check out some suggestions below!

Sharper Nutrition Fix: Chicken Salad Versatility

I love how a chicken salad is so versatile. You can transform it into a whole new flavor adventure. By keeping the chicken base the same but changing up the add-ins and the dressing!

Below are a few examples of some other chicken salad recipes

Thai Inspired: For a Thai Inspired chicken salad think about all the yummy Thai flavors that go with chicken. I think of peanuts, sesame seeds, shredded carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, lime, peanut butter, pineapples, garlic, and cilantro.

Here is a recipe by Jo Cooks! Thai Chicken Salad.

Southern Inspired: For a Southern Inspired Chicken Salad you can take on so many Southern flavors. You could go with a Louisiana Style with Cajun seasonings or a classic Carolina Style Chicken Salad. For a Carolina Style, I think of mayo, hard-boiled eggs, relish, maybe some apple cider vinegar, and honey.

Here is a recipe by Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen her Southern Style Chicken Salad.

Caesar Inspired: In this variation think Caesar salad but in a Chicken Salad!

I like to make Caesar dressing from scratch and use that as my dressing. Sometimes I’ll put shredded kale, hearts of palm, Parmesan cheese, or sometimes a more traditional approach with onion, celery, apples, and crunchy radishes!

I have a recipe on my Instagram, The.Sharper.Dietitian, the recipe is in the caption.

More recipes like these from The Addy Bean

Lemon Feta Pasta Salad

Air-Fryer Chicken Wings