Because I like to focus on making dinner, I usually don’t cook during lunchtime. But now I’ve found a wonderfully quick and easy lunch dish that’s super light, healthy, and filling. The only cooking part involved in this dish is the chicken breast. That’s it. Once the chicken is fully cooked and diced into bite-sized pieces, everything else is added into one bowl, and voila, lunch is served. Just be sure to carve out about an hour to let the flavors meld.

Not only is this chicken salad super easy to make but it is packed with tons of flavor – from the tart apple to the sweet cherries along with the added crunch of the pistachios and poppy seeds. I made it a bit more healthy, using both mayonnaise and plain yogurt, which gave it a nice, light creaminess to it. You can eat it on top of some spinach or make it into a sandwich, like I did. I love a nice, toasted English muffin so I stuffed some chicken salad, spinach, and tomatoes right into the center and devoured it in less than 5 minutes. It was a perfect lunch meal, and I’m sure I’ll make it again and again.

Chicken Salad with Dried Cherries and Pistachios (adapted from Alaska from Scratch):

Yields 4 servings

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup diced Granny Smith apple
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes per side.

Transfer to a plate and let cool; cut into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, yogurt, dijon, green onions, apple, pistachios, dried cherries, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

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