Apple Cheddar Chicken Salad on a Stick Recipe - Cupcakes & Kale Chips (2024)

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Salad on a Stick with apple slices and chunks of chicken and cheddar cheese plus fresh, crisp lettuce are fun and kid-friendly when dunked into an easy honey mustard dip. It’s the perfect easy recipe for a school lunch that isn’t the same old sandwich or a healthy after school snack. And a big platter of salad skewers is perfect gluten free appetizersor game day snacks.

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Horizon Organic. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Cupcakes & Kale Chips possible. As always, all opinions are my own.

Originally publishedSep 6, 2017

My kids just started their third year at their respective schools. The first year, when my big guy was entering Kindergarten and my little one started at preschool, I spent weeks preparing and, well, panicking.

For the Kindergartener, I worried about pretty much everything – getting him to the bus on time, how he would handle such a long day that didn’t end till he got off the bus at 4 pm. You name it, I worried about it for a good portion of the summer. I thought they were going to mail us a bus assignment. It was just a few days before school started that I discovered you had to look up the bus routes on the school website and find the one closest to you. Another thing I didn’t realize I had to find on the website was the school supply list. By the time I figured this out, there were slim pickings at the store.

For the little one, the labeling requirements were enough to drive any already-worked-up mom insane. Backpack, lunch box, every lunch container, naptime blanket, sheet for the cot, water bottles. Each and every item had to be branded with the kid’s first and last name. I went through his stuff ten times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

But by the night before school started, I was calm, cool, and collected because I knew I had taken care of everything.

Last year I waited till the last second and was again late on picking up the school supplies. The little one now had a nut-free classroom, including nothing manufactured in a facility that might handle peanuts or tree nuts. I spent hours in various stores and online making sure I had a good selection of items he would like but would not be dangerous for his highly allergic classmates.

Again, I got all that worry out of my system by double- and triple-checking everything so that I was relaxed the day before school started.

This year I felt like an old pro. School clothes shopping was done in late July. We had a family outing to buy new sneakers on a free weekend well in advance. I started picking up school supplies early in the summer since I knew where to find the list, and only had to order a pencil case online a couple of weeks ago. The little one had a great time during his transition days, was staying together with most of his friends, and other than his room nothing was really changing.

I was cool as a cucumber until the night before school. Then I was laying in bed panicking that I had forgotten something for someone. I was stressed because I hadn’t been stressed. Am I the only one that’s this neurotic?!

Well, one thing I never worry about is lunch…

Apple Cheddar Chicken Salad Skewers

I was thinking back to my Chef Salad on a Stick, and knew it would be fun to make a new version. It is back-to-school time and in the fall I love salads with apples and cheese like these Autumn Turkey and Apple Salads. So I drew inspiration from this seasonal favorite. Besides being fun to eat, the kids can also get involved in helping you make them.

What do you need for chicken salad on a stick?

• Apple slices – you can dip them in pineapple juice to keep them from browning. This isn’t tart like lemon juice but works just as well.
• Cubed chicken – use leftover grilled chicken breasts, roast chicken, or even a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
• Cheddar cheese cuber
• Lettuce – something that will fold up but isn’t too tender, like butter, Bibb, or Romaine.
• Dried cranberries
• Toothpicks – I prefer longer ones, though you can also buy the cute lunchbox toothpicks to make them even more fun.
• Honey Mustard Dip or your favorite storebought or homemade dip or dressing.

It’s really nothing more than threading dried cranberries, apple slices, cubes of chicken and cheese, and lettuce on a toothpick, and stirring together your dip for dunking.

How do you serve Apple Chicken Salad Skewers?

• Pack everything in a container and send them off to school with the kids, maybe with a banana or some grapes and a few Healthy Carrot Zucchini Muffins (or Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins).
• Make a plate and have it waiting on the kitchen table when they get home from school as one of their favorite savory healthy snacks!
• You can also make a big platter for game day snacking alongside some Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Hummus, and Honey Lime Sriracha Glazed Cauliflower Wings.
• They would even be great for dinner with a bowl of Creamy Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup!

And to make it even easier, all I had to do was cut up a few Horizon Organic Colby Cheese Sticks to make the cheese cubes. Then just pack those lunchboxes with these salad skewers and more of your favorites from Horizon Organic.

From single-serve cartons of Organic Lowfat Milk to cheese in every shape and size, including sticks, slices, and even cool shapes, plus yogurt, crackers, and fruit snacks, Horizon Organic has everything you need for fun and easy to make lunches and snacks with simple ingredients and no fake or funky stuff that the kids will still devour. Get even more ideas and inspiration by following Horizon Organic on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

What are more easy school lunch ideas that aren’t sandwiches?

• Chef Salad Lettuce Wraps
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Hummus
• Mediterranean Chicken Pinwheels
• Chicken Sandwich Wraps from A Dash of Sanity
• Find even more School Lunch Box Ideas from Love From the Oven

Not a fan of Honey Mustard? Here are more easy salad dressing recipes for dipping:

• Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing
• Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
• Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing
• Greek Yogurt Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing
• Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Apple Chicken Salad on a Stick Recipe

The kiddos went crazy for this apple chicken salad skewers recipe with a three-ingredient honey mustard dip! They make a great school lunch, after school snack, or even a party appetizer. So quick and easy!

I hope you’ll leave a comment and give it a FIVE STAR rating or share a photo on Pinterest!

Enjoy!

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