Chicken Apple Winter Salad (Print Version)

Winter salad with chicken, crisp apples, pecans, and tangy apple cider dressing, perfect for chilly days.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
02 - 2 crisp apples (Honeycrisp or Gala), cored and sliced
03 - 4 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, 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

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, combine salad greens, chicken, apple slices, celery, pecans, dried cranberries, red onion, and feta if using.
03 - Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and toss gently to evenly coat all components.
04 - Present immediately, optionally garnished with extra pecans or a sprinkle of feta cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns leftovers into something that feels intentional and bright, not like reheated scraps.
  • The crunch from apples and pecans makes every bite textured and alive, even on the grayest winter day.
  • You can toss it together in the time it takes to argue about what to eat for lunch.
02 -
  • Do not dress the salad until you are ready to eat it, or the greens will collapse and lose their texture.
  • Taste the apples before you slice them. If they are mealy or bland, the whole salad suffers.
03 -
  • Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for three minutes before adding them. The flavor deepens and they smell like caramel.
  • If your apples start to brown before you serve the salad, toss the slices in a little lemon juice. It stops the oxidation without changing the flavor.
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