Description
This Chicken Salad with Apples is a fresh and flavorful dish combining tender rotisserie chicken with crisp apples, celery, and sweet dried cranberries, all brought together with a tangy mayonnaise and Dijon mustard dressing infused with lemon juice and tarragon. Perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or atop a bed of mixed greens, this recipe is quick to prepare and ideal for a light lunch or picnic.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 breasts rotisserie chicken (finely shredded or chopped)
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or more to taste)
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (finely chopped) or ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
Add-ins
- 1 small apple (finely diced, Honeycrisp or Fuji)
- 2 stalks celery (finely diced)
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Prep Chicken: Remove the skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken breasts and chop or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces for easy mixing and eating.
- Mix Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, chopped tarragon, and kosher salt until the dressing is smooth and well combined.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the shredded chicken, diced apples, diced celery, and roughly chopped dried cranberries into the bowl with the dressing. Gently toss all ingredients together until everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
- Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the chicken salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and develop.
- Serve: Serve the chicken salad chilled, perfect for layering in sandwiches, wraps, or served on a bed of mixed greens for a refreshing meal.
Notes
- Use fresh tarragon if possible for the best flavor, but dried tarragon works as a substitute.
- Choosing crisp apples like Honeycrisp or Fuji adds a nice sweet crunch to the salad.
- Adjust mayonnaise and mustard quantities to your taste preference for creaminess and tang.
- This salad can be made a day ahead, making it ideal for meal prep.
- For a healthier twist, consider using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
- Keep the salad refrigerated and consume within 2-3 days for freshness and food safety.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chicken Salad, Apple Chicken Salad, Easy Chicken Salad, Rotisserie Chicken Recipe, Healthy Chicken Salad, Lunch Recipe
