Chicken Salad Lunch

Whether you buy it or use my easy recipe below, this post shares everything you need to know to keep it fresh inside a lunch box for hours!

High Protein School Lunch with Chicken Salad

I gotta admit it: I enjoy so many salads for lunch, but one is right there on the top of the list of most tasty and convenient salads a mom can turn into many meals. I’m talking about my famous Southern Chicken Salad. This school lunch idea adapts that recipe for a terrific high-protein meal that kids will devour!

This is one of those amazing salads the entire family can enjoy for lunch, especially older kids who need lots of nutrition. You can make one batch of chicken salad using rotisserie chicken or chicken leftovers, and turn it into different chicken salad lunches, like a wrap or even a croissant sandwich. It sounds like convenience to me!

The creamy texture of this chicken salad pairs great with crunchy sides like crackers and apple slices, as I did this time. Of course, you can add other school lunch sides you have around for extra flavor and nutrition.

What you need

You can use store-bought chicken salad or make your own chicken salad with the ingredients I list below, and then add healthy sides for a balanced lunchbox. Measurements are at the end of the post, but first, check what you need:

• Cooked chicken: leftovers from another meal or rotisserie chicken.
• Celery: a classic chicken salad ingredient to add crunchiness.
• Lemon: we’ll add the juice to brighten up the flavor.
• Mayonnaise: you can swap it for Greek yogurt.
• Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
• Creole Seasoning: adds tons of flavor! You can omit it.
• Whole grain crackers: pair great with this salad. Add your favorites.
• Apple: or any other fruit or veggie you have around.

How to Pack Chicken Salad for School Lunch

So, so tasty and so, so simple! Just follow these quick steps and you’ll have delicious lunchboxes waiting to grab and go on busy mornings. If you already have chicken salad, jump to step 3, otherwise, this is how to pack this lunch from scratch:

1. Chop the chicken
   You start chopping the chicken in the food processor for about 30 seconds. Just pulse; don’t turn it “on”; or your chicken will become a “paste.”
2. Make the salad
   Now, you whisk the lemon juice, mayonnaise, and seasonings in a bowl. Add the celery and the chicken, and mix to combine. Refrigerate it for up to 4 days and use it for many tasty school lunches!
3. Pack it for lunch
   You scoop ½ cup of chicken salad into the main compartment of a lunch box. Add the apples to the same compartment or in a separate compartment. Since the chicken and apples are “wet,” they can be packed together.
4. Add crackers
   You want them crispy until lunch, so make sure to pack them in another compartment or small container.
5. Refrigerate
   Refrigerate the lunch box until it’s time to pack it for school. Add an ice pack inside the lunch bag.

More tips for packing Chicken Salad for lunch

Follow these tips for packing chicken salad in the lunch bag so it remains neat and appealing for hours:

Separate wet from dry
Packing the salad separately is key so the other ingredients don’t get soggy, especially if you’re packing something dry and crunchy, like crackers.

Save time
You don’t need to bake a chicken for this recipe. This lunch is great for using up leftovers, so turn them into a salad if you have them around. Using a rotisserie chicken is also one of my favorite hacks for saving time!

Keep it chilled
Pack this chicken salad inside an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack to keep the temperature inside the lunch bag cool.

Add more nutrition
Who doesn’t love desserts? Make lunch even more nutritious by adding a healthy homemade dessert, like this Chocolate Avocado Pudding or this Fruit Salad.

Healthy Chicken Salad Lunch

Servings: 1 lunch

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Chicken salad makes a terrific high protein packed lunch for school and pairs great with your favorite crunchy sides.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

For the chicken salad:

• 1 whole roasted chicken, meat off
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning, optional

For 1 packed lunch:

• ½ cup chicken salad
• 6-8 whole grain crackers
• 1 apple, sliced

Instructions

Make the chicken salad:

• Put chicken meat in a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Continue pulsing for about 30 seconds until the chicken is finely chopped. *If you turn "on" the food processor, your chicken will become a "paste" instead, use the pulse method until it's very finely chopped.
• In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, creole seasoning. Add the chopped celery and the chicken into the bowl, and mix to combine all the ingredients. Transfer the chicken salad inside a large container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

For a packed lunch:

• Scoop ½ cup of chicken salad in the main compartment of a lunch box. Pack the apple slices in a separate compartment or the same one as the chicken salad –these two can go in the same one if necessary. In another compartment or small container, pack the crackers.
• Refrigerate the lunch box until it’s time to pack it for school. Add an ice pack inside the lunch bag.

Equipment

101 Packed Lunches

Kids Lunch Box

ice pack

Nutrition

Serving: 1 lunch | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg