Everything Bagel Chicken Salad with Dried Cherries & Almonds

Name: "Everything Bagel Seasoning" Chicken Salad with Dried Cherries & Toasted Almonds
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: FOR THE DRESSING:; 1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt (use dairy-free if needed); 1/3 cup of mayonnaise (sometimes more); 1/2 small lemon, juiced; 2-3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons of honey; 2 tablespoons (sometimes more) of Everything Bagel seasoning (I use Trader Joe's); 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper; FOR THE SALAD:; 3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded & chopped (or grilled small-diced, if desired); 1/3 cup of sliced almonds, toasted (see notes); 1/3 cup of dried cherries, roughly chopped if they're big (can sub dried cranberries, golden raisins, or blueberries, or halved fresh grapes); 3 green onions (the whole thing), diced & roughly chopped; Optional: 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

Chiiiiiiiiiicken salad. I love chicken salad. All types…regular, sonoma, curry, avocado. Gimme the chicken salad. And I already have a handful of recipes on the site for it, but this Everything Bagel Seasoning chicken salad with dried cherries and toasted almonds—yes, a mouthful!—is unique and delicious and needs to be on your list!

Each time I’ve made this, I’ve stripped it back, pulling ingredients out of the original recipe—gone are the onion and celery that the original calls for, and I added some apple cider vinegar and honey to give greater depth to the sauce (like my Aunt Tina’s famous chicken salad).

Is it healthy and packed with veggies? Not really. But it’s delicious (and still not that bad for you).

As you’ll see in the pics, I sometimes sub small fresh halved purple grapes for the dried fruit it calls for. Both options are delicious, it just depends on what mood I’m in.

I also freestyle the dressing quite a bit…I start with what my recipe calls for, but often find that I need add more of various ingredients to get the baland JUST right. I prefer a slightly saucier chicken salad, and love a perfect balance of creamy, tangy, salty, and a tad sweet.

So let’s throw this bad boy together. Add the sliced almonds to a dry skillet and toast over medium to medium-low heat for around 5-7 minutes, tossing ocassionally, until golden and fragrant. Keep an eye on them and don’t let them burn! Remove and let cool slightly.

You can mix up all your dressing ingredients separately if you want, but I’m usually lazy and just throw them all directly in the bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, toasted almonds, chopped dried fruit, green onions and parsley.

Add your dressing or all the dressing ingredients to the bowl and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust as needed…often I need to add a bit more mayo, and some times a bit more apple cider vinegar or honey to balance it, and I often add more Everything Bagel seasoning.

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 the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (you can go longer but it starts to get watery).

This Everything Bagel Seasoning chicken salad with dried cherries is the refreshing, light, easy meal you need this summer!

Other easy chicken salad recipes you’ll love:

Adapted from Simply Scratch

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"Everything Bagel Seasoning" Chicken Salad with Dried Cherries & Toasted Almonds

Yield: 4+ servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This Everything Bagel Seasoning chicken salad with dried cherries and toasted almonds is what you need in your life this summer! It only takes a handful of ingredients and a few minutes to throw together, and makes for a unique, delicious, refreshing summer recipe!

Ingredients

FOR THE DRESSING:
1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt (use dairy-free if needed)
1/3 cup of mayonnaise (sometimes more)
1/2 small lemon, juiced
2-3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of honey
2 tablespoons (sometimes more) of Everything Bagel seasoning (I use Trader Joe's)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded & chopped (or grilled small-diced, if desired)
1/3 cup of sliced almonds, toasted (see notes)
1/3 cup of dried cherries, roughly chopped if they're big (can sub dried cranberries, golden raisins, or blueberries, or halved fresh grapes)
3 green onions (the whole thing), diced & roughly chopped
Optional: 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Add the sliced almonds to a dry skillet and toast over medium to medium-low heat for around 5-7 minutes, tossing ocassionally, until golden and fragrant. Keep an eye on them and don't let them burn! Remove and let cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, toasted almonds, chopped dried fruit, green onions and parsley.
You can mix up all your dressing ingredients separately if you want, but I'm usually lazy and just throw them all directly in the bowl. Toss well to combine. Taste and adjust as needed...often I need to add a bit more mayo, and some times a bit more apple cider vinegar or honey to balance it, and I often add more Everything Bagel seasoning.
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 the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (you can go longer but it starts to get watery).

Notes

If you can't have almonds, you can sub for lightly-toasted pistachios or pine nuts.
As you'll see in the pics, I sometimes sub small, fresh halved dark purple grapes for the dried fruit. I really like the dried fruit, but both work really well---just bringing some tartness and a bit of sweetness.