I love chicken salad, and it makes for a great easy summer dinner. This recipe uses plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, and it packs a flavor punch with apples, Dijon mustard, and dried apricots.
An unexpected twist!
Since this is called “easy chicken salad,” one would expect chicken to be the main ingredient. That’s not the case. In fact, there’s no chicken at all in this recipe. Instead, I use a three-pound boneless turkey breast roast. It’s so easy to prepare, and you really can’t tell the difference.
Jump to Recipe
First, roast a three-pound boneless turkey breast according to the instructions on the packaging.
This will take about two hours, but the amount of time depends on whether it’s thawed or frozen. Once done, set it aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
Prep the fruits, veggies, and nuts.
- 4 stalks of celery
- 14 dried apricots
- 2 apples (I used honey crisp.)
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 bunch green onions
- 1/2 bunch parsley
Clean and chop the celery. Cut up the apricots–I cut them in half lengthwise and then crosswise two or three times. Clean, core, and chop the apples (without peeling). Chop the nuts. Clean and chop the onions and parsley, discarding the bottom few inches of the stems. Toss all of this in a large bowl.
Make the dressing.
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used the full-fat version, but choose what you like.)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (Use whole-grain mustard if you prefer.)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Clean and mince the garlic. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
Chop the turkey, and then stir everything together with the dressing.
easy chicken salad–with a twist
Ingredients
- 3 pound boneless turkey breast roast
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- 4 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped
- 1/2 bunch green onions, cleaned and chopped
- 2 apples; cleaned, cored, and chopped
- 14 dried apricots, chopped
- 1 c walnuts, chopped
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the turkey breast roast according to the directions on the packaging, about two hours. Set aside to cool.
- Clean and chop the parsley, discarding the bottom two to three inches of the stems.
- In a large bowl, stir together the celery, green onions, parsley, apples, apricots, and walnuts.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, honey, minced garlic, and pepper to make the dressing.
- Chop the turkey and add it to the large bowl along with the dressing. Stir everything together and serve on its own or in a pita or croissant.
Notes
- The unexpected twist is that the recipe calls for turkey rather than chicken. It’s so easy to prepare and chop the turkey breast roast, and you really can’t tell the difference.
- I used full-fat Greek yogurt; use non-fat if you prefer.
- I recommend good-sized honey crisp apples for this recipe. No need to peel.
- Whole-grain mustard would also work well instead of Dijon.
I hope you enjoy this easy “chicken” salad!
This is a meal on its own, but it’s especially good with bread or rolls. Maybe serve a green salad on the side or some cheese and crackers. If you prefer, you could put it in a pita or croissant.
Other posts you might like:
- easy lettuce wraps
- blueberry themed gift ideas
- using a grocery list template
- Visiting Mammoth Cave National Park
Fondly,
Crysti
Thank you for this easy chicken salad recipe with a twist. I hadn’t ever thought of using a turkey breast, but what a great idea. I appreciate the simplicity of this recipe.
Thanks, Lisa! I especially enjoy chicken salad, and I love that it’s so easy to customize it to your liking.