Apple Cheddar Chicken Salad on a Stick with Honey Mustard Dip – easy school lunch idea!

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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 appetizers or 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.

Apple Chicken Salad on a Stick with Honey Mustard Dip Recipe

Originally published Sep 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 on a Stick with Honey Mustard Dip on a platter

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.

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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.

A wodden platter with Apple Chicken Salad Skewers and honey mustard dressing Apple Chicken Salad on a Stick packed in a school lunch

How do you serve Apple Chicken Salad Skewers?

Apple Chicken Salad Skewers in a lunchbox with Horizon Organic products

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.

Chicken Salad on a Stick for a snack

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

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

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!

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Apple Cheddar Chicken Salad on a Stick

A fun and easy lunchbox idea or an after school snack. Or make a bunch for game day appetizers.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad on a Stick

  • 1 apple cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick, cut in half for a total of 32 pieces
  • pineapple juice optional
  • 32 dried cranberries
  • 1/2 pound Cooked chicken breast cut into 16 cubes about 1/2 inch on each side
  • 2 Horizon Organic Colby Cheese Sticks, each cut into eight cubes (or about a 2 oz. block of cheddar cheese cut into 16 cubes)
  • 16 leaves butter lettuce, Bibb, or Romaine lettuce leaves

For the Honey Mustard Dip

  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

For the Salad on a Stick:

  • Dip apple slices in pineapple juice to prevent browning, if desired.
  • Using a large toothpick, thread on one dried cranberry, one apple slice, one chicken cube, one cheese cube, one leaf of lettuce folded up, one more apple slice, and one more dried cranberry.
  • Serve with Honey Mustard Dip or your favorite salad dressing or dip.

For the Honey Mustard Dip:

  • Combine the mustard, Greek yogurt, and honey in a bowl and stir until combined.
  • Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts
Apple Cheddar Chicken Salad on a Stick
Amount Per Serving (4 skewers)
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 44mg15%
Sodium 362mg15%
Potassium 422mg12%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 15g17%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 2030IU41%
Vitamin C 5.2mg6%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Enjoy!

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6 Comments
  1. At first glance, I thought the cheese was mango! I thought you know what would be good on this chicken salad on a stick? Cheese. When I read the recipe and the cube WAS cheese. I thought. here’s a girl after my own heart. I love simple yet satisfying snacks like this! And apples don’t show up enough on kebabs in my opinion. Fun recipe!

    1. Brianne Cupcakes & Kale Chips

      Haha! I’m glad that our brains are in sync with the cheese, Christina. I hope you enjoy these tasty snacks!

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