Chicken and Apple Salad

I made this Chicken and Apple Salad on a total whim today and I’m SO glad I did. It is so delicious that I want to eat it every day for the rest of my life.

And guess what? It’s so easy that I just might be able to.

I wrote the recipe to use two chicken breasts but I didn’t realize until it was too late that I only had one chicken breast in my freezer… so please ignore the photos that show only one. Make it with two. It definitely needs two.

It is important to note two things: A) I buy my chicken breasts in bulk, divide them and freeze them in bags of two. That is how I get the insanely low price of less than $2/lb. B) Apples were on sale as well, $0.98/lb. Even if your prices are a bit higher, you’ll most likely still come out on top. Have you seen what they charge per pound at the deli for chicken salad? It’s a lot… like there’s gold dust in there or sumthin.

Chicken and Apple Salad

Print Recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Chicken and Apple Salad

This chicken and apple salad is a sweet tart take on classic chicken salad with green apples and dried cranberries.

Author: Beth - Budget Bytes

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breast halves ($3.02)
• 2 small 3/4 lb. apples ($0.74)
• 1/2 medium red onion ($0.56)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries ($0.28)
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise ($0.56)
• 1/3 cup fat free plain yogurt ($0.21)
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard ($0.06)
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.04)
• to taste salt and pepper ($0.05)

Instructions

• Cook the chicken breast in a countertop grill, skillet, or oven. Whatever method is easiest for you. My George Foreman grill cooks a chicken breast in about seven minutes, so I did that. Allow the chicken to cool.
• Wash and dice the apples and onion into small pieces while the chicken is cooling.
• Dice the chicken and place it in a bowl along with the diced apples, onions, and dried cranberries.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, dijon, and red wine vinegar. Add a healthy dose of freshly cracked black pepper and a dash of salt. Stir, taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Stir the dressing into the bowl of chopped goodies and serve!

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Step By Step Photos

I started with a chicken breast that I had in the freezer. I let it thaw in the refrigerator over night. I only had one but you should definitely use two. Look – I must have been really tired the day I packed up that chicken because I spelled “breast” as “brea5”. Interesting.

I find my little countertop grill to be the fastest, easiest way to cook chicken breast. Plus, it makes a nice golden crust on the surface. Whatever you do, make sure it’s completely cooked! Let the chicken cool down after cooking.

After the chicken has cooled down some, cut or tear it into small pieces.

When the chicken is cooking/cooling, prepare the apples and onions. If you have a large apple, you may only need one. If you have a small onion, may use the whole thing. The amounts here are flexible.

Cut both into small pieces.

Place the diced apple, onion, chicken, and dried cranberries in a bowl.

The dressing is just these four items, plus a little salt ‘n pepper. You can use all mayo instead of half yogurt if you like but I’m trying to be healthy and I like the tang! Also, if you prefer a sweeter dressing, try adding a tablespoon of honey. Yummm.

Mix up the ingredients in a bowl and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Stir the dressing into the bowl of chopped goods and serve!

You can also try adding celery or nuts to this but I’m keeping it simple today!

You can make a wrap out of this Chicken and Apple Salad, top a spinach salad with it, or just eat it plain like I did!