This big delicious salad is full of delicious crunch and wonderful flavor! Juicy crisp apple slices, tangy tart cranberries, and crunchy pecans all meet in this fresh apple pecan salad that is perfect for fall!
Need some ideas for your fall produce? Try my truffled mushroom risotto, Thanksgiving Autumn Fruit Salad, or a blood orange martini!
My Spin on Wendy's Apple Pecan Salad
As the crisp autumn air settles in, there's nothing quite like a great hearty salad to embrace the flavors of fall. And this is coming from a reforming salad hater!
But hold on, we're not talking about just any salad here – this isn't your average Wendy's apple pecan chicken salad copycat. No, no.
We're diving into an apple pecan salad packing a combination of sweet and savory, full of crunch and flavor that will revolutionize your salad game and have you saying goodbye to the fast food joints.
We have all these wonderful ingredients: tender, succulent chicken mingling with the crunch of fresh apple slices and buttery pecans, tart cranberries, all tossed in a bed of greens. It's simple, it's crammed with flavor and texture, and I love it for this time of year.
My Apple Pecan Chicken Salad recipe is the epitome of deliciousness, guaranteed to be even tastier and more satisfying than what you'll find at Wendy's.
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Why You'll Love this Easy Copycat Recipe
- Perfect Thanksgiving Salad Side - with all these fresh fall flavors, an apple pecan salad is ideal on your Thanksgiving dinner table.
- Easy Copycat Salad at Home - forget ordering from the fast food joint, this salad is simple to make yet is packing flavor, honey. A super easy lunch recipe to make at home, and so fresh!
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Mandoline - get perfect, thin apple slices with the mandoline. I love this one because it's so safe to use.
- A good Cutting Board
- Large Serving Bowl
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- Apples - red and green apple slices not only add beautiful color, but juiciness and crunch, too! I used granny smith apples, which are tart apples that compliment the sweetness of the gala apples I used and the savoriness of the cheese and chicken breast.
- Cooked Chicken Breast - I grill up a big batch of chicken for our salads on Sundays, but this is great with leftover chicken from rotisserie chicken or last night's dinner.
- Lettuce - while Wendy's uses romaine lettuce, use your favorite lettuce! I often use spring mix or a mix of baby lettuce.
- Cheese - I don't like the blue cheese crumbles (just not my jam!), so I swap it for goat cheese or feta.
- Chopped Pecans - for an even sweeter touch, try candied pecans!
- Dried Cranberries - these are also called 'craisins' and are so tasty! Don't use fresh cranberries, leave those to cranberry sauce!
Pomegranate salad dressing
Wendy's uses Marzetti Simply Dressed Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing, which is unfortunately discontinued retail-wise, but here's how you can make it from scratch at home:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pomegranate Juice
- Red Wine Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
- Maple Syrup
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Chicken Apple Pecan Salad
Slice and dice the chicken breasts and apples, then add them to a bowl of leafy greens.
Top with the pecans, dried cranberries and cheese crumbles.
Make the pomegranate vinaigrette by pouring all the ingredients together into a jar and shake until incorporated or whisk it together in a small mixing bowl.
Drizzle on your salad dressing, toss the salad together, and serve!
Variations and Substitutions
- Add warm bacon crumbles to our cranberry pecan salad for even more savory, salty crunch.
- This recipe is fantastic to use up the rest of that rotisserie chicken you bought from Costco this week, I'm just sayin'.
- Remove the chicken and swap in turkey for the holidays!
Pro Tips for the Best Salad
In-season greens for this in-season salad always work! Try adding spinach, massaged kale, shaved brussels sprouts, or kohlrabi!
Speaking on in-season produce, try different fruits as well. My neighbor's tree overflows with persimmons, and they are so delicious in this salad!
Store Apple Pecan Salad with Chicken
Store the salad separate from the vinaigrette. When you're ready to serve, drizzle it all over and eat up!
More Delicious Salad Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Apple Pecan Salad
Try my delicious Chicken Apple Pecan Salad, a copycat recipe inspired by Wendy's. Packed with crunch and cranberries, it's a hearty fall salad that makes for a delicious lunch!
Ingredients
Apple Pecan Salad
- 8 cups baby lettuce mix
- 2 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
- 1 Gala apple, cored and sliced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup roasted or candied pecans
Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup pomegranate juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
Make the Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- Pour the ¼ cup pomegranate juice, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, and the ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper into a jar or small mixing bowl. Shake it in the jar with a tightly-closed lid or whisk in the mixing bowl until everything is well combined. Set aside.
Prepare the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
- Wash your greens and dry them thoroughly. Set the cleaned lettuce into a large serving bowl.
- Top the lettuce with the grilled chicken breasts, sliced apples, dried cranberries, cheese crumbles, and pecans.
- Drizzle a small amount of the pomegranate dressing over the salad and toss with a serving set. You can add more dressing as desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Pro Tips for the Best Salad
Serve the dressing separately in small bowls so everyone can dress their own salads.
In-season greens for this in-season salad always work! Try adding spinach, massaged kale, shaved brussels sprouts, or kohlrabi.
Speaking on in-season produce, try different fruits as well. My neighbor's tree overflows with persimmons, and they are so delicious in this salad!
How to Store Apple Pecan Salad with Chicken
Store the salad separate from the vinaigrette. When you're ready to serve, drizzle it all over and eat up!
Variations and Substitutions
- Keep it classic Wendy's by using romaine lettuce and blue cheese crumbles.
- Add warm bacon crumbles to our cranberry pecan salad for even more savory, salty crunch.
- This recipe is fantastic to use up the rest of that rotisserie chicken you bought from Costco this week, I'm just sayin'.
- Remove the chicken and swap in turkey for the holidays!
- Use a bottled dressing for even more ease.
- Make it vegetarian by removing the chicken.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 186mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 12g
All nutrition facts are estimations. Please see a physician for any health-related inquiries.
Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.
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