Summer Chicken Salad is light, refreshing, and perfect for the coming summer months. Crisp apples, tangy citrus, and juicy chicken all come together to make truly delicious salad.
Memorial Day is right around the corner and, for most of the US, it means summer as officially arrived. IF, however, you live in Florida like yours truly, summer weather has been in full swing since March. We have two seasons here, hot and hotter. It also means I have a warped sense of “seasonal” cooking. I’ve been holding on to this one for a minute. Honestly, it was filled and shot during the deep freeze in Texas, and talking up the warm weather felt wrong. If it’s any consolation, come fall time, I’ll be envious of all the sweaters, scarves, and boots the rest of the country gets to wear. But I digress.
Back to this Summer Chicken Salad…it’s quite tasty and a wonderful change of pace from your traditional chicken salad. This recipe comes to you courtesy of my husband, who loves a good refreshing dish.
Tips and tricks:
- Chicken – use skinless boneless chicken breast. Season generously with salt and pepper and give it a quick sear. Have left over chicken that needs to be used? It will work wonderfully here, so long as it hasn’t been overly marinated or seasoned (terriyaki or bbq may be too much here)
- Apples – You want to use a firm apple, one that will hold up the to dressing. Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith are excellent here
- Please please please chill this salad before eating. You wouldn’t eat macaroni salad or potato salad warm would you? Don’t eat this warm either.
That’s it! Listen, this one is another straightforward recipe that’s quick and easy to whip up. Give it a try and let us know what you think! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Summer Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 medium orange zested, peeled and chopped
- 1 chicken breast cooked and chopped
- 1 medium apples peeled and chopped
- 1½ tbsp sunflower seeds shells removed
Instructions
- Combine the honey, mayonnaise, orange zest, lime zest and lime juice in a small bowl and set to the side.
- Add the peeled and chopped apple, orange, and chicken into a large bowl. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over top along with the sunflower seeds. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Chill the salad in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour or until chilled entirely. Serve cold.