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This easy lemon chicken salad recipe combines tender chicken and crisp apples in a tangy lemony dressing. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner! Serve over fresh salad greens, in a sandwich or in wraps.

lemon chicken salad with apples in a croissant roll on plate

Lemon Apple Chicken Salad

Lemon chicken salad with apples is one of our favorite chicken salad recipes. It’s made with chicken breast meat and apples in a creamy dressing with a touch of lemon for extra flavor. If you want a change from classic chicken salad, this easy recipe is for you!

I’ve been making this lemon chicken apple salad for awhile now. The first time, I needed a way to use up leftover chicken, but it changed over the years. Sometimes, I use my favorite oven baked chicken breast recipe whenever I need cooked chicken for chicken salad. Sometimes, I use cooked rotisserie chicken. I also started making the dressing lighter by using Greek yogurt.

It’s a super simple salad recipe with minimal prep and lots of fresh flavors. There’s no celery, nuts or onions, so you don’t have a lot of chopping to do — just the apples.

leftover chicken, mayo, yogurt, apples, lemon, dijon mustard and seasonings

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this lemon chicken salad recipe. Here’s a quick rundown with details in the recipe card below.

  • Cooked chicken — leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or baked chicken breasts or chicken thighs
  • Granny Smith apples — These tart apples go well with lemon, but you can use another variety of apple if you like
  • Lemon — juice of a fresh lemon and fresh lemon zest for added flavor if you like
  • Mayonnaise — adds creaminess found in traditional chicken salad dressing
  • Yogurt — plain Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt to lighten the dressing up
  • Dijon mustard — for subtle flavor
  • Seasonings — sea salt, black pepper and optional dried parsley

How to Make Lemon Chicken Salad with Apples

First, slice chicken into bite-sized pieces using a cutting board or large plate. Then, mix the salad dressing ingredients in a large bowl. It’s super simple — just a mix of Greek yogurt, mayo, a little bit of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I like to add dried parsley flakes for extra flavor, but you can skip this if you don’t have any. Fresh parsley works, too!

Then, throw in some chopped apples, lemon juice and lemon zest — optional. I used Granny Smith this time, but you can use any apple. Sometimes, I even do a combo of different apples. The lemon juice adds flavor and keeps the apples from turning brown. The zest isn’t totally necessary, so if you don’t have a zester, it’s fine. Mix in your chopped cooked chicken, and that’s it! You can also zest some lemon peel over the top and add fresh herbs like fresh parsley, fresh dill or fresh tarragon for even more flavor.

Storage

Store chicken salad in an airtight container or in the mixing bowl in your refrigerator. It’s best to let it chill for at least an hour for best flavor. You can also make this easy salad a day ahead of time.

lemon chicken salad in creamy dressing in a croissant roll

Recipe Tips and Variations

If you don’t like yogurt, you can make the dressing with all mayonnaise. You can also make the dressing without mayonnaise and do all yogurt.

And since the kids love grapes, sometimes I make this chicken salad recipe with grapes just for them.

You can add chopped red onion, chopped green onions, bell peppers, chopped crunchy almonds or chopped walnuts for extra crunch.

I love to use fresh ingredients, but you can use canned chicken, as well.

More Chicken Salads to Try

Try my Ranch Chicken Salad or Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad or Chinese Ramen Chicken Salad, or this delicious Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad next.

5 from 11 votes

Lemon Chicken Salad Recipe with Apples

By: Dee
This easy lemon chicken salad recipe combines tender chicken and crisp apples in a tangy lemony dressing. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner! Serve over fresh salad greens, in a sandwich or in wraps.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt plain
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 diced Granny Smith apples washed, cored and diced
  • 3 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest optional
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley optional

Instructions 

  • Add yogurt, mayo and mustard to a large bowl, and mix until well combined
  • Stir in the sea salt and pepper and optional parsley
  • Add the chicken, apples, lemon juice and zest (if using) and mix well. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to eat

Video

Notes

Recipe can be made with leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breast or thighs.
Use a different variety of apple for different flavor. You can use all yogurt or all mayo in the dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 296mg, Potassium: 237mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 60IU, Vitamin C: 3.1mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
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FAQ

What do you serve with chicken salad

This easy recipe makes the best chicken salad sandwich, especially on a croissant roll! You can also serve chicken salad over fresh greens or romaine lettuce or make wraps using tortillas. My aunt once served chicken salad stuffed in tomatoes at a ladies’ lunch!

How long does chicken salad last in the fridge

Since this chicken salad has apples, it’s best to eat it within a day or two. Otherwise, the apples start to brown. Without the apples, chicken salad should last 3 days.

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Recipe Rating




46 Comments

  1. Claude says:

    This was awesome! Had leftover rotisserie chicken to use up! Guests loved this too!5 stars

  2. Toby says:

    Made this for Easter brunch and everyone loved it!5 stars