The Best Chicken Salad is an easy to make chicken salad recipe that is my go-to chicken salad recipe for sandwiches, subs and lettuce wraps! This easy chicken salad with apples recipe is the best chicken salad ever! The mix of juicy chicken, diced apples, sweet raisins salt and pepper with creamy mayo makes this the best chicken salad!
BEST Ever Chicken Salad Recipe
You might think that Chicken Salad with Apples and Raisins is a crazy idea but I promise you once you try it you are going to love it!
You only 6 ingredients to make this easy chicken salad that is perfect for making a tasty sandwich! Which is perfect because I am so not in the mood for anything that is difficult. I am currently at the point where I just want things easy peasy during the day so there is more time to get all of this yard work done that we are working on.
After living in this house for 6 years things are finally coming together with the yard that seems to never be done and we have spent the last few weeks tackling as much of fixing the yard as we can. This recipe is so easy that as long as I have cooked chicken already the kids can make it while I get other things done. Which having the kids help with lunches is also helping them learn how to make tasty meals which is a skill I want them to have for later in life.
Looking for more easy sandwich recipes? Check these out!
- Spinach Mozzarella Grilled Cheese
- Grilled Cheese roll ups
- Provolone Grilled Cheese
- Egg Salad Recipe
- Chicken Salad Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Meatball Grinder
- Reuben Sandwich
What goes well with chicken salad?
The great thing about this recipe is there are so many things that go well with it. While chicken salad is great as a lunch recipe it also makes a great dinner and picnic recipe too. When I make this chicken salad for dinner I do different side dishes then when I make them for lunch. Our favorite sides to serve no matter what meal we are making these sandwiches for are:
When you are putting your sandwich together you can just put the salad mixture on to bread or you can add lettuce and tomatoes too. It is up to you on how you serve this as a sandwich.
Best Chicken to use
I originally made this easy chicken salad recipe one day when I had left over chicken. So if you have left over chicken you are trying to figure out what to make something with this chicken salad recipe is perfect! I have also used a rotisserie chicken and it came out delicious too!
The only thing I advice against using is canned chicken. It doesn’t pair well when making this recipe. You can use it if you are in a pinch but it is not something I would recommend using for this recipe.
Best Bread for Chicken Salad Sandwiches
You can use any bread when you are making these sandwiches. We have yet to find a bread that didn’t go well with it.
If you want to get fancy and use a pretzel bun or a brioche bun my kids love it when I make sandwiches using fancy breads and rolls. This salad recipe also tastes amazing on a croissant too!
Make it Low Carb!
If you are wanting to lower the carbs on this chicken salad sandwich cut back on the amount of raisins you are adding or skip them all together. Raisins are high in carbs but you can easily cut the amount that you use.
I also suggest using Romain lettuce or bib lettuce instead of bread to make a low carb chicken salad lettuce wrap.
Can I add Bacon to Chicken Salad?
While I stick to apples and raisins the majority of the time that I make this easy recipe if you are wanting to change things up, adding things like slivered almonds, cooked crispy bacon or changing out the raisins for cranberries are great options.
Chicken salad with grapes is also a tasty option, just replace the apples with grapes. Or if you are like my kids have both!
How long is chicken Salad good for?
This chicken salad recipe will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days stored in an airtight container.
Can I freeze it?
If you are wanting to prep ahead of time, I only suggest cooking the chicken and cutting it up into piece and freezing it. Chicken salad doesn’t freeze well and the longest part is cooking chicken but if you have cooked chicken on hand it will cut down on the time needed.
How to Bake Chicken Breasts
If you do not have cooked chicken ready to go the easiest way is to just pop some chicken in the oven and bake it.
All you have to do is brush the chicken with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on it and then bake on a baking sheet for 15-18 minutes at 450°F. Chicken breast is fully cooked when it has reached 165°F. I always use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken to make sure it is fully cooked.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting it into pieces. Then allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before making the chicken salad.
Chicken Salad with Apples Ingredients
- Apple – any type will work
- cooked chicken breast shredded or chopped
- raisins
- mayo
- salt
- pepper
How to Make Chicken Salad with Apples
If you do not have cooked chicken breast cook it using the directions above.
Once the chicken is cooked to room temperature dice the chicken into small pieces or shred the chicken.
Wash and cut your apples into small pieces.
In a large bowl add the chicken, apples, raisins and mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all ingredients until everything is well combined.
Serve on your favorite sandwich bread or in lettuce for a lettuce wrap.
Ingredients
Instructions
- If you do not have cooked chicken breast cook it using the directions above. Once the chicken is cooked to room temperature dice the chicken into small pieces or shred the chicken.
- Wash and cut your apples into small pieces.
- In a large bowl add the chicken, apples, raisins and mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix all ingredients until everything is well combined.
- Serve on your favorite sandwich bread or in lettuce for a lettuce wrap.
Nutrition
6 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving when using light mayo and chicken breast
alison says
This is just standard stuff…the usual recipe
Sarah says
I add almonds or walnuts, and chopped celery.
Carol ONeil says
This sounds really good I love chicken salad! Thank you!
Paula says
Sounds good, but I’ll skip the raisins.
Katie Brinkerhoff says
I do this with died cranberries……..so yummy!
Angie C. says
I am definitely trying this with dried cranberries. Sounds delish! What are some other suggestions for add ins?
Kay says
Sounds delicious, going to add chopped up celery.