This Cherry Almond Chicken Salad is perfect for a light, healthy and satisfying lunch. Shredded cooked chicken is combined with dried cherries, toasted almonds, onions and celery and is then tossed in a light creamy dressing. This recipes yields 5 (1 cup) servings.
I don’t always meal prep lunch but when I do, I make chicken salad.
Depending on what I’m in the mood for, I usually alternate between chipotle chicken salad, this avocado grilled chicken salad, curried chicken salad, the classic chicken salad with grapes and pecans or the one I’m sharing today. All of these taste amazing and are great to have on hand for a quick healthy lunch.
In this particular salad, shredded cooked chicken is tossed with celery, onions, dried cherries and toasted almonds. The best part, in my opinion, is the dressing! A simple creamy dressing of mayonnaise, greek yogurt and lemon juice is sweetened with a little honey and seasoned with everything (but the bagel) seasoning.
I like to top my cherry almond chicken salad with micro greens and extra everything seasoning and serve with with crackers and bibb lettuce leaves.
To Make This Cherry Toasted Almond Salad You Will Need:
for the dressing:
- plain nonfat greek yogurt – Lends creaminess without adding fat.
- mayonnaise – Adds creaminess and flavor.
- lemon juice – Thins out and brightens the dressing.
- honey – Adds a touch of sweetness.
- everything seasoning – Use homemade or store-bought.
- kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in the dressing.
- freshly ground black pepper – Adds subtle bite and flavor.
for the salad:
- yellow onion – Lends delicious onion flavor and some crunchy texture.
- sliced almonds – Add toasty, nutty flavor and crunch.
- shredded cooked chicken – Use leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie.
- celery – Lends earthy flavor and crunchy texture.
- dried cherries – Adds texture and sweetness.
- green onion – For a mild onion flavor.
- parsley (fresh) – For a pop of dark green.
Make The Dressing:
In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, the juice of 1/2 a small lemon, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 tablespoon everything seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
Stir well to combine and so that the honey is mixed throughout.
Prep Ingredients:
Add 1/2 a medium, finely diced yellow onion to a bowl with ice and water. Let them soak 5 to 10 minutes.
What Happens When You Soak Onions In Ice Water?
Soaking onions in ice water removes a lot of the bite. You still get onion flavor but it’s mellowed out considerably.
Next, toast 1/2 cup of sliced almonds in a dry pan until golden, tossing occasionally. Remove off of the heat and cool.
Measure, dice or roughly chop the remaining ingredients.
Make The Salad:
In a mixing bowl, add 3 cups of shredded chicken, the (drained) yellow onions, 1/2 cup celery 1/3 cup dried cherries (roughly chopped), toasted almonds, 3 sliced green onions and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.
Lastly pour in the creamy dressing.
Toss.
Until combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
How To Serve Chicken Salad:
- seedy crackers – I like Mary’s Gone crackers.
- toasted bread – Try it on croissant bread OMG.
- lettuce – Serve on or wrapped in romaine, iceberg or bibb lettuce.
- sandwich or wrap – Tuck it into a croissant, lavash or wrap of choice or in pita bread.
What To Serve With Chicken Salad:
- Fresh fruit
- veggies
- chips of choice
- small cup of soup
How To Store Chicken Salad:
Store leftovers in a large container or individual personal size containers with a tight fitting lid.
How Long Will Chicken Salad Last In The Fridge?
If stored properly, chicken salad can last up to 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
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Enjoy! And if you give this Cherry Toasted Almond Chicken Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Dried Cherry Toasted Almond Chicken Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon everything seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup celery, finely dined
- 1/3 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
MAKE THE DRESSING:
- In a small bowl combine yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, everything bagel seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
MAKE THE SALAD:
- Finely dice the yellow onion and add it to a bowl of ice water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add sliced almonds to a dry skillet and toast over medium to medium-low heat, tossing ocassionally, until golden and fragrant. About 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- In a mixing bowl, add chicken, (drained) yellow onions, toasted almonds, celery, chopped dried cherries, green onions and parsley.
- Pour in the dressing and toss well to combine.
- Chill until ready to serve or enjoy immediately.
- Serve with crackers, with romaine or bibb lettuce leaves or on a bed of spring greens.
- Store leftovers in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate up to 3 to 5 days.
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Such salads are so great! Easy and yummy snack.
I LOVE chicken salad and this one looks absolutely delish I also make one with dried cranberries and pecans which always reminds me of Christmas
I absolutely LOVE a good chicken salad and your recipe sounds like a home run. Great job, you have been pinned 🙂
Great minds must think alike because I have been wanting some good chicken salad for the past 2 days and have just been too lazy to roast a chicken thus far. I tried a recipe a few months ago that had dried apricot in it and that was pretty tasty, but I think I’m going to like the poppy seed and cherries even more. Thanks!
Came back to make this recipe again (it’s awesome btw!) and noticed the poppy seeds are missing from the recipe card at the bottom.
Oops! I’ll have to add those in! Thanks Ashley!
Happy spring, Laurie!
This recipe looks delicious and right up my alley!
Could you just please clarify if the Everything Bagel Seasoning replaces the poppy seeds mentioned by a couple of your readers in the Comments section?
It seems there was an earlier version that perhaps only had poppy seeds? Although you mentioned adding them into the recipe notes, I don’t see them.
Sorry for the bother! I have both on hand so I’m good either way!
I always just try to make a new recipe exactly as it is written, and then personalize if needed! Thank you so much.
I hope all is well with you and the family, Laurie, and all of you are looking forward to warmer weather and blossoms popping out soon!
“Cheers” from the Canadian Prairies!
Hi Laurie!
Thank you for another winner in my book! I thought this salad combination was absolutely
delightful and oh so tasty!
The dressing is fabulous, and I will be using it for other salad combinations in the future. There was sweetness from the honey and the cherries, gentle saltiness from the seasoning blend, crunch from the almonds and onion . . . variety to the umpth degree!
I previously had a question for you about poppy seeds in the recipe, but as I had not heard back, I just went ahead with the Everything Bagel Seasoning (I had a jar of your blend on hand!) and used 1-1/2 T. of lemon juice for the dressing. Perfect for this cook!
I only had slivered almonds on-hand and toasted them up for a great result. Also, the night before, I oven roasted some bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, removed the skin, and then shredded the meat when cool. I made the dressing the night before too, and when it came time to assemble today, it took no time at all to put the salad together. Love, love it!
Thank you so much Laurie for always having easy, approachable, often unique, and delicious offerings for your readers . . . I for one feel extremely fortunate as a beneficiary of your talent and efforts!
Please take good care!
Warm wishes from the Canadian Prairies!