Recipe

Cuban Chicken Salad with Apple, Creamy and Easy

Name: Cuban Chicken Salad with Apple, Creamy and Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 350 g (about 12 oz) cooked chicken, cold, skinless and boneless; 2 firm sweet-tart apples (about 300 g edible part); 80 g celery (2 medium stalks); 40 g very finely chopped red onion; 110 g mayonnaise (½ cup); 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice; 1 teaspoon (5 g) mustard; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; Salt to taste (from a pinch to ½ teaspoon)

Cold chicken salad with apple, celery and red onion in a creamy dressing of mayonnaise and lime. No pasta and ready in 50 minutes including resting time.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

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Preparation20 min
Total time50 min
Servings4 servings (about 900 g, close to 1 cup per serving)
DifficultyEasy

This Cuban chicken salad with apple is the fresh, no-pasta version of a classic on our tables. The cooked chicken, firm diced apple and celery give that contrast between creamy and crunchy that a light lunch or an afternoon snack on hot days calls for.

It comes together in a moment starting from already cooked chicken, even supermarket rotisserie chicken. If you prefer the traditional chicken salad, with potato, egg and olives, or if you are more drawn to the tropical chicken salad, with mango and grapes, you have both in the recipe collection. This one goes another way: chicken, apple and a simple dressing with mustard and lime.

Ingredients

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Salad

350 g (about 12 oz) cooked chicken, cold, skinless and boneless
2 firm sweet-tart apples (about 300 g edible part)
80 g celery (2 medium stalks)
40 g very finely chopped red onion

Dressing

110 g mayonnaise (½ cup)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
1 teaspoon (5 g) mustard
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste (from a pinch to ½ teaspoon)

Method

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator just before starting: it must be well cold. If it is store-bought rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and bones and weigh 350 g of clean meat.
Cut the chicken into 1 cm cubes or shred it into coarse chunks. Put it in a large bowl of about 3 liters (3 qt).
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Wash the celery, remove the toughest strings and cut it into ½ cm cubes. Chop the red onion very fine. Add both to the chicken bowl.
Wash the apples, remove the cores and cut them into 1 cm cubes; you can leave the skin on for color. Put them in a medium bowl, add the lime juice and stir immediately so they do not oxidize.
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In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and pepper until you have a smooth, even dressing.
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Add the apple with its juice to the chicken bowl. Pour the dressing over it and fold with a spatula, from bottom to top, until everything is coated without crushing the apple.
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Taste and adjust the salt: with store-bought rotisserie chicken start with no salt or a pinch; with unsalted boiled chicken, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon. If it looks dry, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of mayonnaise; it must be bound, not soggy.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the flavors settle and the salad is well chilled.
Stir gently before serving and serve cold, just taken out of the refrigerator.
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Tips and variations

Card time: The 50 minutes start from already cooked and cold chicken. If you cook it at home, add the time below.

If starting from raw chicken: put 450 g (1 lb) of boneless, skinless breast in a 3-liter (3 qt) pot, cover with cold water and add ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook over low heat for 15-18 minutes, until the center registers 74 °C (165 °F). Let cool for 15 minutes out of the water and then refrigerate for about 45 minutes, until well cold. This adds about 5 minutes of prep, 20 of cooking and 1 hour of cooling. From 450 g of raw breast you get about 350 g cooked.

Dressing point: the mixture must be well bound but without broth at the bottom. If it looks dry, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of mayonnaise; if you want it lighter, replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.

Storage: keep it covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator, at 4 °C (40 °F) or less. It is at its best on the same day and keeps well for up to 2 days; after that the apple softens and releases water. If you use leftover chicken, also count the time it had already been refrigerated: preparing the salad does not reset the chicken's shelf life, which is 3 to 4 days from when it was cooked. Do not leave it out of the cold for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour if it is over 32 °C (90 °F), as on a beach day or a summer patio. It does not freeze.

To serve (optional, not included in servings): on Cuban bread for small sandwiches, on lettuce leaves or alongside slices of avocado.