Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
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Apple Pecan Chicken Salad – this fall inspired recipe is loaded with crisp sweet apples, crunchy pecans, fresh flavorful rosemary, lightly tart cranberries and plenty of chicken. And you’ll love this lighter, creamy dressing made with mostly Greek yogurt and a little bit mayonnaise.
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
Is it just me or did it honestly start to feel like fall overnight? It cooled off about 20 degrees and I’m actually getting excited! I love summer but there’s also so much to love about fall, like all the flavors in this chicken salad!
The pecans, the apples, the cranberries and the rosemary are some of my favorite fall ingredients.
I’ve been wanting to share a chicken salad recipe for a while because I absolutely love it and I’m so glad I finally got around to it because I’m totally loving this one!
A Healthier Chicken Salad
It’s a skinnier version than the classic mayonnaise loaded versions, and you most definitely won’t miss the loads of mayo (I always hate when they are so loaded up with mayonnaise it’s hard to taste everything else plus they just seem heavy).
This chicken salad is light and makes for a perfectly filling and refreshing lunch or dinner that won’t weigh you down.
I tried both a bread version and lettuce version and liked them equally the same, so if you are on a low carb diet I know you’ll love it as lettuce wrapped chicken salad. Try it soon because it’s likely going to become a fall favorite for you too!
How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad
To cook the chicken I roasted mine in the oven but you can cook it however you prefer. I simply pounded the chicken breasts to an even thickness then brushed lightly with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Then placed on a foil lined half baking sheet and roasted at 425 degrees until it was 165 in center (which will take about 16 – 23 minutes, time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts).
Then I let it cool completely (speed cooled in the fridge) and cut into pieces. This would also be good with left over turkey during the holidays.
How to Make Healthier Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
Once you’ve cooked and cooled the chicken just dice it up and toss with chicken salad dressing and other mix-in ingredients. So easy!
More Chicken Salad Recipes You Might Like
- Almond Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
- BLTA Chicken Salad Wraps
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad
Follow Cooking Classy
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and dice into small cubes
- 1 1/4 cups chopped golden delicious apple, or gala or fuji apple (chop small)
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Dressing
- 1 (5.3 oz) container fat-free plain greek yogurt (heaping 1/2 cup)
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lettuce or whole grain bread, for serving
Instructions
- Add chicken, apples, pecans and cranberries to a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate small mixing bowl mix together greek yogurt, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, rosemary, mustard, honey and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour over chicken mixture then toss to evenly coat. Serve in lettuce or on whole grain bread.
Notes
- Nutrition estimate based on using lettuce leaves not bread.