Apple Salad

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Make super-easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.

Bowl of refreshing apple salad, beautifully prepared and ready to be served.

Quick And Easy Apple Salad

Apple Salad is so fast and easy to make. It’s a breeze to assemble, with store-bought rotisserie chicken and store-bought candied pecans.

I don’t know how it happened, but my boys literally beg to eat salads for lunch or dinner. I couldn’t be happier about that because I love throwing together a big salad and making it a meal. Without much thought, I whipped up this apple salad using a few pears that were ripe and apples that needed to be used and my boys declared this the best salad ever. So obviously, it needs to be shared here!

The dressing is tangy and acidic, but overall subtle. It’s a dressing that lets the salad and each individual ingredient shine through. It’s not overpowering but is a great complement to the ingredients. I add a pinch of ground cinnamon to the dressing, which is the perfect accent to the apples, pears, and dried cherries.

Fresh apple, pear, dried cranberries, and walnuts, key ingredients for the apple salad recipe.

Ingredients In Apple Salad

SALAD:

  1. Fresh mixed greens lettuce: Provides a crunchy base and fresh flavor.
  2. Apple and Pear: Add sweetness, a juicy texture, and a crisp bite.
  3. Shredded seasoned rotisserie chicken: Provides protein, making the apple salad more filling.
  4. Dried tart cherries (or dried cranberries): Give a tangy and sweet contrast to other ingredients.
  5. Candied pecans: Add sweetness, crunch, and a rich nutty flavor.
  6. Goat cheese (or feta or gorgonzola cheese): Introduces creaminess, a hint of saltiness, and a unique flavor.

DRESSING:

  • Olive oil, Honey, Apple cider vinegar, Cinnamon, Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder, and Dijon mustard: Together, these ingredients create a delicious dressing that compliments this apple salad beautifully.

QUICK TIP

What is the best apples to use? When adding apples to a salad, you want a good crunchy apple that won’t brown quickly after being sliced. The best varieties are Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jazz, Empire, Pink Lady,  and Envy. My personal favorite in this salad is Honeycrisp or Pink Lady.

Drizzle fresh lemon on the cut apples to keep them from browning as quickly.

 

Apple cider vinaigrette dressing in a mason jar, a delightful addition to your dish.

How To Make Apple Salad

  1. Prepare Salad Base: In a bowl, mix 8 cups of mixed greens.
  2. Add Fruit & Protein: Thinly slice 1 apple and 1 pear, and add to the greens. Mix in 2.5 cups shredded rotisserie chicken.
  3. Include Extras: Sprinkle 1/2 cup each of dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled goat cheese.
  4. Dressing: In a jar, combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, seasonings, and 1 tsp dijon mustard. Shake well.
  5. Finish: Toss apple salad with most of the dressing. Top with pecans and cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing and a pinch of salt. Serve immediately.

STORAGE

Make-Ahead And Storage Tips

  • This apple salad doesn’t sit well once dressed, but it can be prepared, made ahead, and stored as long as ingredients are stored separately. (Lettuce, chicken, cheese, dried cherries, and pecans in separate containers — slice up the pear and apple right before eating). 
  • Dressing stays good for 5 to 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be made ahead of time — just shake it up before dressing your salad. Only dress enough salad for one meal’s use.

The dish, with all fresh ingredients and delicious dressing.

Apple Salad Shortcuts

  1. Use leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken, especially discounted ones nearing expiration from local stores.
  2. Opt for store-bought candied pecans, commonly found in “salad topper” sections, for convenience, though making your own is an option.
  3. Prepare a double or triple batch of dressing at the week’s start. With ready dressing, chicken, and pecans, assembling the salad is a breeze.

More Salad Recipes:

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Apple Salad

5 from 8 votes
Easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie (or leftover) chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.
Bowl of refreshing apple salad, beautifully prepared and ready to be served.
Print Recipe

Apple Salad

Bowl of refreshing apple salad, beautifully prepared and ready to be served.
5 from 8 votes
Easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie (or leftover) chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword apple salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 large salad servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 381kcal
Cost $8.82

Ingredients

Salad

  • 8 cups fresh mixed greens lettuce
  • 1 large apple, thinly sliced or chopped (such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
  • 1 large pear, thinly sliced or chopped
  • 2 and 1/2 cups shredded seasoned rotisserie chicken
  • 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (or dried cranberries)
  • 1/2 cup candied pecans
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta or gorgonzola cheese)

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon EACH: ground cinnamon, fine sea salt, ground pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

  • SALAD: Place the salad greens in a large bow;, core and thinly slice apples and pears (peel if desired); slice or chop the chicken and add that in; add in the dried tart cherries.
  • DRESSING: Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust to personal preferences.
  • FINISHING SALAD: Toss the salad with 80% of the dressing and then add in the candied and coarsely chopped pecans. Top with crumbled cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt if desired. Serve immediately.
  • STORAGE: Only add dressing, nuts, and cheese to what you will eat right away, because leftovers get soggy. You can store the salad, nuts, cheese, and dressing separately for delicious leftovers or meal prep for the week; just add in freshly sliced apples or pears and assemble right before eating.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4large salad servings | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 27.1g | Fat: 18.1g | Cholesterol: 89.1mg | Sodium: 227mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 22.7g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




15 Comments

  1. Thank you for always sharing such amazing beautiful yummy easy to follow recipes

    Apple salad is the winner

  2. Awesome recipes with Awesome pics very useful recipe info. I totally recommended this whenever you made APPLE SALAD. Thank you.

  3. 5 stars
    Made the Apple Salad it was fantastic!
    Everyone from teenagers, to grandparents raved about it.

    THANKS!
    Viv

  4. 5 stars
    Oh wow! I need to make this immediately. Thanks for posting such a great recipe – can’t wait to try it????

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