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A croissant on a white plate with chicken salad inside of it and green leaf lettuce.
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Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

Apple Walnut Chicken Salad is a delicious twist to classic chicken salad. Chunks of chicken, apple, walnuts, green onion, and celery in a slightly sweet & creamy dressing with fresh lemon juice! Serve this chicken salad inside croissants with some green leaf lettuce.
Course Dinner, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword apple walnut chicken salad, chicken salad recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Fridge Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 473kcal
Author Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

Creamy Dressing

  • cups mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

  • 4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
  • cups small chopped Gala apple
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

Instructions

  • Combine all creamy dressing ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Stir with a wire whisk until combined, creamy, and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, apple, walnuts, green onion, and celery. Pour the creamy dressing over it and mix well until everything is combined and coated in the dressing.
  • This chicken salad can be served right away, but for best results and flavor let it refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
    Serve chicken salad inside croissants with green leaf lettuce. You can also serve inside sandwich bread or rolls.
  • Leftovers keep well, in an air-tight container, in the fridge for 3-4 days. Thanks to the acid in the dressing, the apples actually don't brown!

Video

Notes

Serving Size : This recipe makes 8 cups chicken salad. Each serving being 1 cup of chicken salad. Nutrition Information does not include roll, croissant, etc.
Tip : To prevent slight browning of the apple chunks be sure and chop the apples as the very last thing before adding the creamy dressing over the chicken salad. This ensures that the apples won't brown while they're sitting out and waiting for the dressing. 
Apples : I use Gala but any apple can be used in this recipe. I would stay away from the really tart apples like Granny Smith. Gala and Fuji apples are great choices for chicken salad. You can peel off the skin or leave the skin on. I do about half and half when I make this recipe. I peel off random parts of the skin so I am left with some skin and then no skin. The apple peel provides some pretty color to the chicken salad. 

Nutrition

Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg