Make busy weeknight meals a snap with this easy harvest almond chicken salad! Crisp apples, sweet grapes and crunchy almonds add great texture and flavor!
“Mommm… what’s for dinner? I’m starving!” Sound familiar? On a busy weeknight when I don’t feel much like cooking, that’s just about the last thing I want to hear. But instead of having a cereal for dinner night (don’t judge…), or ordering a pizza, I like to whip up this quick and absolutely delicious chicken salad!
I’ve been a chicken salad fan for what seems like forever… there’s so many flavor combinations! Today I decided to go with my tried and true, go-to favorite… harvest almond chicken salad!
In this chicken salad there are a lot of fresh, vibrant flavors going on. I start with some Hormel Premium Chicken Breast… it’s the easy way to add great-tasting, satisfying protein to your meals! If I have a lot of time, I’ll roast or poach some chicken, but on a busy weeknight… I don’t always have that kind of time.
The chicken is packed in water, so there’s nothing extra added to your chicken… just drain it and add it to a large bowl. Now things get interesting!
Add some sliced grapes, diced apples, sliced almonds, diced shallots, minced fresh thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, and a little mayo.
Give it a good stir….
Grab a fork and do a taste test to check your seasonings… take another bite… and another…! You may not be able to stop “taste testing”… I know I always end up eating several forkfuls as a part of my “quality control” 😉
As for how you serve your chicken salad, that’s up to you! I usually go for the classic sandwich, or on a toasted sesame bagel, but for a lighter version, you could add some to a little cup of lettuce.
Healthy and delicious!! For those of you who would rather lighten this up even more, you could swap out the mayo for some tangy Greek yogurt if you’d like. I’ve personally never tried it, but I do think it would still have great flavor!
The combination of flavors is really something I know you’ll love… the savory shallots, bright lemon, woodsy thyme, sweet grapes, crisp apples and crunchy almonds!
Try this recipe out for a weeknight meal your family will LOVE!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 (10 oz each) cans of Hormel Premium Chicken Breast (or 1 lb of shredded, cooked chicken)
- 1/3 cup shallot minced
- 2/3 cup apple diced
- 2/3 cup grapes sliced in half
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup mayo to your tastes
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain cans of chicken and add to large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Use right away, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Christie says
This is so tasty 😋! I didn’t know how many cans of chicken since the recipe says 2 oz of Hormel chicken but I figured it’s 2 14 oz cans. I was chopping away at my celery since I’ve always had it in my chicken salad and then low and behold, no celery? Lol (it went in anyway) I don’t care for thyme so I added a few dashes of dill weed which I love. I used 1 whole small apple and a bit more mayo. I passed on the shallots and used onion powder. It’s in the fridge now getting happy. Can’t wait to have it for lunch! Love your recipes Amanda!
Bethany says
I love some of the different ingredients that this recipe calls for. I hade most of them on hand but substituted yellow onion for the shallot. And I didn’t have grapes so I doubled the apples. Also, I had whole almonds so I put them in the mini-chopper and used chopped almonds instead of sliced. It was very, very good and my 11yo helped make it.
Becky says
I have tried several of your recipes lately, and they are all on pointe! This chicken salad is no exception. I made something like this years ago for bridal and baby showers that we would dish up on croissants with some crispy romaine, but your version has some twists that make this even more lovely. My teenager made it supervised, and my whole family approved of this recipe once again!
The lemon 🍋 and zest is fresh and fabulous, and I love the addition of apples and almonds. We followed the recipe exactly, but I had a roto chicken cooled in my fridge, so I threw that into the recipe instead of canned chicken this time. Definitely will be making this often in the summer months. Thank you, Amanda!
Cheryl says
How many servings is this?
The Chunky Chef says
I would say about 6 servings.
Jill says
I just came across you earlier on slow-cooker recipes. Decided to see what else you have. Then I find this yummy-ness. This is similar to a sandwich I get at my favorite chain deli (McAlisters Deli). Will definitely be trying this in the future.
Scott Dove says
Roasted my own chicken breasts, used about a cup of apple and cup of grapes. Best chicken salad I’ve ever tasted. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Scott 🙂 Oh wow, I am SO happy to hear that you loved the chicken salad!!