Apple Pecan Salad

Name: Apple Pecan Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 5 oz. arugula; 1 large apple (thinly sliced); 1/2 cup red onion (soaked in water); 1/2 cup salted pecans (roughly chopped); 1/4 cup feta cheese; 1/4 cup dried cranberries; 2 cups shredded chicken ((how to make shredded chicken)); 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp honey; 1 1/2 tsp dijon; 1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste); 1/4 tsp black pepper

By Erin AlvarezPublished Nov 09, 2024

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Reader Rating

Total Time 10

Servings 4

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This Apple Pecan Salad is an easy lunch recipe or side dish that you’ll want to make all fall long! Featuring your choice of lettuce, cooked chicken, apples, pecans, and feta, it’s a little salty, a little sweet and incredibly quick to prepare.

I love a quick salad recipe, especially when it comes to lunch, and this Apple Pecan Salad has been on repeat in our house lately.

It’s similar to my winter kale salad and simple arugula salad but a little more filling thanks to the addition of chicken. It’s made with a 4-ingredient vinaigrette too, which takes no more than two minutes to whip up.

Speaking of filling salads, don’t sleep on my potato brussels sprouts salad and my bbq chicken salad, both of which will keep you full all afternoon!

Recipe features

This salad has many different textures and flavors thanks to the apple, pecans and cranberries.
Can be whipped up in just a few minutes for a quick lunch, or served as a starter salad at a holiday gathering.
It’s easy to make the dressing and chicken ahead of time to have everything ready to go when you need it.

Ingredients

Arugula – Or sub mixed greens, kale or your favorite type of lettuce.

Apple – Any variety; I usually opt for gala or granny smith apples.

Red onion – Or use shallot instead. I like to soak the onion in a bowl of water for 5-10 minutes while the rest of the salad is being prepared to soften the flavor, but this is optional.

Pecans – The main ingredient in this salad, so I personally wouldn’t sub it, but walnuts would be delicious as well. I recommend using salted pecans, but if you only have unsalted, you may want to add a little extra salt to the vinaigrette.

Feta cheese – I love feta — it honestly might be my favorite cheese — but I have to admit goat cheese is another excellent option in this salad.

Cranberries – Dried cranberries, or chopped dates add sweetness to this recipe.

Chicken – Any cut of chicken works; I used cooked chicken breasts and followed my simple shredded chicken method. You don’t have to include chicken, but it’s a great way to add protein to this salad.

Dressing – A classic combo of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, and dijon mustard. If you need substitutions, you could use white wine vinegar instead of apple cider, and maple syrup instead of honey. I wouldn’t substitute the olive oil though.

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the chicken. I cooked mine on the stovetop and then shredded it with a hand mixer, but you can really cook it however you’d like. Use this guide for quick and easy ways to cook and shred chicken.

Step 2: Make the salad dressing. Next, whisk the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.

dressing ingredients whisked together in a measuring glass

Step 3: Assemble the salad. Add the arugula, along with the cooked chicken, apple, red onion, pecans, feta, and cranberries to a large bowl, then drizzle HALF of the vinaigrette overtop and toss to combine. Transfer the salad to plates, then add additional dressing as desired. Enjoy!

Tips and tricks

Make ahead: Make the dressing ahead of time by adding all of the ingredients to a jar with a lid. Then, shake well to combine and store the jar in the fridge for a few days until you’re ready to make the salad.
Additions: Want to bulk this salad up even more? Try adding sliced radishes, cooked and chopped bacon, sliced cucumber, roasted butternut squash cubes and/or cooked quinoa on top.
Make it vegetarian: Omit the chicken and add chickpeas instead! You could even add roasted air fryer chickpeas if you’re feeling fancy.

My Pro Tip

Recipe Tip

Red onion: Add the sliced onion to a bowl of water for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. This removes some of the intensity and makes the flavor more palatable (in my opinion).

Storage

Refrigerator: Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge without the dressing for up to 4 days. If you’ve already added the dressing, the salad will only keep for 1 day, and just know that the lettuce may get a little soggy.