Rotisserie Chicken Salad - Easy Chicken Salad Recipe with Apples (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep apples from turning brown in chicken salad? ›

Use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water for your apple slice with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

Homemade chicken salad typically lasts 3-4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.

To prevent your homemade chicken salad from becoming watery, ensure the chicken is fully cooled and consider roasting or grilling instead of boiling to reduce moisture content. Lightly salt watery vegetables like cucumbers and let them sit before adding to the salad to draw out excess water.

How to make chicken salad taste better. The secret ingredient you should be adding to your chicken salad is pickle juice (via Cookies and Cups). You can (and should) add chopped pickles for extra tang and crunch, but if you like to keep things simple, just a splash or two of the pickle juice will do.

As soon as apples are diced, mix the mayonnaise into the apples so they will not turn brown. Add celery and nuts; combine well.

Method #1: Lemon Juice

Therefore, when you apply lemon juice to apple slices, it helps to prevent the oxidation process. To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water.

USDA recommends using cooked chicken within three to four days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within three to four days.

Room temperature falls into the danger zone for food safety, which is 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria growth increases rapidly under these temperatures which is why the Meat and Poultry Hotline says to “never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.” This includes cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken.

Undercooked chicken

Although mayonnaise can certainly cause food poisoning, it's not the only chicken salad ingredient that can lead to a bad result. Raw or undercooked chicken is also a common culprit of foodborne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chicken salad recipes are traditionally served cold, as in chilled. Yes, it can be eaten warm or at room temperature, but the flavors have time to meld together when it's been in the refrigerator for a couple hours.

How do I keep my chicken salad from getting soggy? ›

Always store salad dressings separately from your salad; this will prevent your salad from going soggy. Wipe all the vegetables with a paper towel before you cut them and add them to your salad. Extra moisture can only spoil your salad. Make sure that any cooked ingredients are cool before you add them to your salad.

Chicken

Chicken salad / Main ingredient

Your lunch choice may lack sufficient protein, healthy fats, and fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Consider adding sources of lean protein, healthy fats (like avocado or nuts), and high-fiber vegetables to your meal to increase satiety.

The important thing is to use white meat and shred it by hand, rather than chop it. Mayonnaise dressing clings to bite-sized shreds of chicken better than uniform little cubes. The only exception to this rule is if you like your chicken salad in more of a smooth, spreadable consistency, as a topping for crackers.

Apple Treatment Method: Lemon Juice

These slices fared almost as well as the citric acid-treated ones did — the lemon juice stopped the browning for almost seven hours. Taste-wise, the slices retained a lemon-fresh tartness, but were not as strongly acidic as those with citric acid.