This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

A delicious salad with tomatoes, chicken, craisins, sunflower seeds and a delicious homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. The dressing only requires 4 ingredients and takes minutes to make!

A new, easy salad dressing recipe that the whole family loves. Other favorites include our homemade ranch dressing and homemade caesar salad dressing. Homemade is definitely our favorite!

Salad with chicken and lemon poppyseed dressing

go-to salad dressing

Who here loves a good salad? I especially love trying a salad that comes with a delicious dressing to go with it. Ranch and Thousand Island dressings are always good to have on hand, but nothing beats a homemade dressing that is custom to the salad you are having.

All of my favorite salads from restaurants have special dressings to go with them, including the Luau Salad from Cheesecake Factory or the Oriental Salad from Applebee’s.

Today’s recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Salad is a new favorite because it not only has a delicious lemon poppy seed dressing, but it’s full of flavor and yummy ingredientsโ€”making it a go-to.

The salad itself is great with yummy ingredients, but if you’re not a fan of chicken – just keep it out. We love that the poultry makes it more hearty, but it can definitely be customized based on what you like most.

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing recipe

Only 4 Ingredients!

This Lemon Poppy Seed dressing would go great with a myriad of salads, and it’s easy to have on hand because it only takes 4 simple ingredients!

  • Mayo
  • Lemon Juice
  • Sugar
  • Poppy Seeds

All you have to do is whisk the four ingredients together, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve with the salad. You can keep it in the fridge up to 10 days, stored in an airtight container.

Dressing Substitutions and adjustments:

  • Mayo: Use Light mayo
  • Sugar: use swerve or honey. You can also cut the amount of sugar in half, and then add more to your taste.
  • Lemon Juice:ย you can decide whether you want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice, or the store-bought refrigerated kind.

Lemon poppyseed dressing salad

Choose your own salad mix

There is salad kit at Costco that comes with salad mix, craisins and sunflower seeds. We just use our own dressing and add the tomatoes and chicken. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Of course, you can always make your salad fresh from the same produce, and chop it all yourself. Regardless of what salad you use, the dressing will taste phenomenal with it!

Change up the salad ingredients: Use a coleslaw cabbage mix, spinach with strawberries and almonds, or even a tropical salad made of pineapple, oranges, coconut, and apples.

If you love salads as much as we do, then I suggest giving this one a try. The poppy seed dressing is amazing and takes just minutes to put together!

For more great salads, check out:

4.88 from 8 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe

By: Lil' Luna
A delicious salad with tomatoes, chicken, craisins, sunflower seeds and a delicious homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. The dressing only requires 4 ingredients and takes minutes to make!
Servings: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Salad

  • 3 cups salad mix chopped
  • 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and sliced
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 cup craisins
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions 

  • Add chopped salad, craisins and sunflower seeds to a large bowl and mix.
  • Make dressing by whisking together mayo, sugar, lemon juice and poppy seeds (refrigerate until ready to serve).
  • Right before serving add chicken pieces and dressing and toss to coat. ENJOY!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 59mg, Sodium: 272mg, Potassium: 421mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 370IU, Vitamin C: 9.3mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and Iโ€™m the mom of SIX stinkinโ€™ cute kids and the wife to my smokinโ€™ hot hubby, Lo. My momโ€™s maiden name is Luna, and Iโ€™m one of the many crafty โ€œLilโ€™ Lunasโ€ in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

So Easy & So Yummy

Get my cookbook!

My new cookbook is the ultimate resource for feeding your friends and family with 200+ simple recipes including videos, tips & more!

4.88 from 8 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. Kristina says:

    5 stars
    This is the perfect summer Salad! Yum!

  2. Joy says:

    5 stars
    I love this salad! It’s so light & refreshing! I need to use this dressing on all my salads!

  3. Natalie says:

    5 stars
    Oh, my, this salad is so good!! The dressing is so refreshing & tasty!

  4. Amy L Huntley says:

    5 stars
    Homemade Dressing is SO much better than store bought. I love know exactly was is in it. This poppyseed dressing is so simple to make and adds a light, delicious flavor.

  5. Olivia says:

    5 stars
    I love ranch and thousand island dressIng. Poppy seed is my next favorite. It has such a great taste and its easy to make.

  6. Hackedcookieclicker says:

    4 stars
    Looks amazing , and really easy to cook.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It really is!! Hope you try it! Thank you!

  7. Ana Maria says:

    5 stars
    Love the sweet dressing!