Harvest Salad with Chicken, Apples & Goat Cheese
This easy Harvest Salad is loaded with juicy chicken, crisp apples, creamy goat cheese, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and roasted butternut squash, then tossed with a homemade apple cider vinaigrette. A fresh and filling fall salad that's perfect for lunch or an easy dinner.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 703kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Harvest Salad
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken shredded or chopped
- 5 cups mixed greens spring mix, or baby spinach/kale
- 1 large crisp apple thinly sliced
- ½ cup goat cheese crumbled
- ½ cup pecans toasted and roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup butternut squash roasted, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
For the Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic finely minced
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl or jar. Whisk until combined, or cover the jar and shake until the dressing is well mixed.
- Prep the chicken. Remove chicken breasts from rotisserie chicken, then shred or slice the meat into bite-size pieces.
- Assemble the salad. Add the mixed greens to a large serving bowl or platter. Top with the chicken, sliced apple, goat cheese, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, red onion, roasted butternut squash, and fresh parsley.
- Add the dressing. Drizzle about half of the apple cider vinaigrette over the salad. Add more as needed.
- Toss and serve. Gently toss everything together until lightly coated in the dressing. Garnish with a little extra goat cheese and pecans, if desired, and serve right away. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is my favorite shortcut for this recipe, but leftover baked or grilled chicken works great too.
- Apples: Honeycrisp is my favorite because it's sweet and crunchy. Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith are also delicious.
- Pecans: For extra flavor, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Butternut squash: If you're roasting it from scratch, cut it into bite-size cubes, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425°F for about 20–25 minutes, or until tender and lightly caramelized. Let it cool before adding it to the salad.
- Make ahead: Prepare the dressing, chicken, pecans, and butternut squash ahead of time and store them separately. Slice the apple and assemble the salad right before serving.
- Dressing tip: Start with half of the vinaigrette, toss, then add more if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 703kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 2928IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg