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!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 232kcal
Ingredients
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
Apple Pecan Salad
- 8 cups baby lettuce mix
- 2 chicken breasts grilled and sliced
- 1 Gala apple cored and sliced thinly
- 1 Granny Smith apple cored and sliced thinly
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup roasted or candied pecans
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.¼ cup pomegranate juice, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp kosher salt and black pepper
Prepare the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
- Wash your greens and dry them thoroughly. Set the cleaned lettuce into a large serving bowl.8 cups baby lettuce mix
- Top the lettuce with the grilled chicken breasts, sliced apples, dried cranberries, cheese crumbles, and pecans.2 chicken breasts, 1 Gala apple, 1 Granny Smith apple, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup feta cheese, ⅓ cup roasted or candied 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, like persimmons!
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 style 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.
- Remove the chicken and swap in turkey for the holidays!
- Use a bottled dressing for an even easier salad.
- Make it vegetarian by removing the chicken.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 186mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g