Pecan & Apple Chicken Salad
This fall chicken salad pairs poached chicken with a maple-Dijon dressing, plus pecans, apples, and cranberries. Light, flavorful, and perfect for any meal.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 qt water
- 1 stalk celery roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 1 whole lemon
- 1 whole onion cut in half
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 lb chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
For the candied pecans
- ½ tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup pecan halves
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For the chicken salad
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 sweet, crisp apple (such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Jazz, Envy, or Cosmic Crisp) cored and diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
For the chicken
- In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, celery, carrot, lemon (sliced, squeezed, with both halves added), onion, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, kosher salt, and chicken breasts. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken registers 160°F, 12-18 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool. The residual heat will raise the temperature of the chicken to 165°F, which is considered fully cooked.2 qt water, 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, 1 whole lemon, 1 whole onion, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bunch fresh parsley, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 lb chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
For the pecans
- In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt. Stir the ingredients together and cook over medium heat until the pecans are toasted and glazed, 6-8 minutes.½ tbsp unsalted butter, ¾ cup pecan halves, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Remove from the heat and pour the pecans onto parchment paper to cool.
For the chicken salad
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, black pepper, kosher salt, diced apple, and dried cranberries. Mix until everything is well combined.½ cup mayonnaise, 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 sweet, crisp apple (such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Jazz, Envy, or Cosmic Crisp), ½ cup dried cranberries
- Dice the cooked and cooled chicken into ½-inch pieces and add them to the bowl. Break the cooled glazed pecans in half and add them to the bowl as well. If making the salad ahead, wait to add pecans until serving. Mix everything together to combine. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
While poaching the chicken, it should only be brought to a gentle simmer, with bubbles coming up to the surface slowly. This way, it will not get overcooked, and it can absorb the full flavor and retain moisture.
Freeze the poaching liquid from the chicken to be used later. It holds great flavor and can be used for things like soup in the future.
The longer the salad sits, the more it will marinate, and the elements will absorb the flavoring of the dressing.
If making the chicken salad ahead of serving, reserve the candied pecans. As the pecans sit in the mayonnaise dressing, they will tend to become soggy. So add the pecans right before you're ready to eat the chicken salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (no bread) | Calories: 320kcal