Chicken Apple Winter Salad (Printable Version)

A hearty mix of chicken, apples, pecans, and tangy dressing for a fresh winter salad.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
02 - 2 crisp apples (e.g., Honeycrisp or Gala), cored and sliced
03 - 4 cups mixed salad greens (e.g., arugula, spinach, or romaine)
04 - 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
05 - 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
06 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries
07 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

→ Apple Cider Dressing

09 - 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
10 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
11 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
12 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
13 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Whisk apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified.
02 - In a large bowl, mix salad greens, chicken, apple slices, celery, pecans, cranberries, red onion, and feta cheese if using.
03 - Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently to evenly coat all components.
04 - Serve immediately, optionally garnish with extra pecans or feta.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It comes together in 15 minutes, which means you can have a restaurant-quality lunch on your busiest afternoons.
  • The mix of textures—creamy feta, crunchy pecans, juicy apples—keeps every bite interesting and satisfying.
  • It actually tastes better than the sum of its parts, like you've discovered some secret combination no one else knows about.
02 -
  • Slice your apples as close to serving time as possible, or toss them with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning—I learned this the hard way when I prepped the salad too far in advance.
  • Toast your pecans for five minutes in a dry skillet if you have time; it deepens their flavor and makes the whole dish taste more intentional.
03 -
  • Use a good quality apple cider vinegar—it's the foundation of everything, so it's worth not skimping on this ingredient.
  • If your apples are very large, cut them into smaller pieces rather than slicing them thick; it distributes the apple flavor more evenly throughout each bite.
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