Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe for Fall

By: Shelly
Posted: Oct 22, 2016
Updated: Aug 21, 2021

Contents

Healthy Chicken Salad for Fall Tips & Tricks for the Best Chicken Salad Description Want To Save This Recipe?Find more recipes like this:

This healthy Autumn Chicken Salad has a satisfying crunch like none other! It balances sweet and savory flavors beautifully for a quick and easy lunchtime meal that everyone will enjoy.

A crunchy salad composed of veggies, flavorings and shredded rotisserie chicken inside of a bowl

Healthy Chicken Salad for Fall

I am always looking for new ideas for school lunches. My kids buy their lunch at school from time to time, but we pack lunches a lot as well. While they are always happy to eat a PB&J or a ham and cheese, they do like a little variety.

Chicken salad is one of those fun foods that is completely open to adaptation. You can add in lots of goodies, or just keep it simple. I like to let my kids pick and choose what we add in, because not only is cooking together a fun bonding experience, it gives them a say in what they’re eating.

They like to get creative, which makes me happy when I see them trying new things. And like I said, chicken salad is a great “base” recipe to really make your own!

Tips & Tricks for the Best Chicken Salad

I like to start my chicken salad with a rotisserie chicken. It’s a great time saver and they taste great! Also, I ALWAYS use Hellmann’s Mayonnaise in my chicken salad. It’s a non-negotiable. It’s leaps and bounds better than any other mayonnaise. (FYI – Target is offering buy 2 Hellmann’s or Best Foods items for $7 right now AND Buy 3 Get One Free on Knorr® products. See below for more details!)

See also How to Make Perfect Tuna Salad

Shredded chicken, an apple, a zucchini, craisins and the rest of the salad ingredients on a black serving platter

Also what I really love that we tried in this chicken salad is we mixed Knorr® French Onion recipe mix right into the mayo. I had the idea when we were pulling out ingredients and it just made perfect sense! There is so much flavor in those little packets, and flavoring your mayonnaise to mix in the chicken salad is a pretty genius idea if I do say so myself!

A mixture of French onion mix and mayonnaise in a bowl with a spoon to be used for chicken salad

My kids loved the idea of adding “Fall” ingredients into the chicken salad like apples and dried cranberries. We also like our chicken salad with a nice crunch, so we threw in some zucchini and toasted walnuts.

A close-up shot of a leftover chicken salad inside of a taupe bowl with a blue rim

We let our salad chill for about an hour, so all the flavors came together nicely.

Then, of course, we ate! Stuff it in a pita, eat it on a bed of lettuce…it’s up to you!

A crunchy chicken salad inside of a piece of pita bread on a table with cherry tomatoes

Description

This healthy Autumn Chicken Salad has a satisfying crunch like none other! It balances sweet and savory flavors beautifully for a quick and easy lunchtime meal that everyone will enjoy.

1 package Knorr® French Onion recipe mix
2/3 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
4 cups cooked shredded or cubed rotisserie chicken
3/4 cup diced zucchini
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup diced Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries

In a bowl combine the mayonnaise and French Onion recipe mix. Stir to combine and set aside.
Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise mixture until evenly coated.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavors to combine.
Serve cold, on its own,over lettuce, or on bread.

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Target makes it easy to cook with your kids! Right now they are offering, “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” on select Unilever food and ice cream brands AND a great offer to buy 2 Hellmann’s or Best Foods items for $7.

Find a store near you HERE.