Apple Cranberry Salad with Chicken

This Apple Cranberry Salad with Chicken holds its own as a main course. Loaded with sweet and savory flavors, plus a touch of heat, it'll keep your guests clamoring for more.

Sometimes all I crave for an entire meal is a hearty salad.

Tossed in a tangy Jalapeño dressing, my Apple Cranberry Salad with Chicken checks all the boxes. It's a super satisfying main course salad with protein, fruit and greens -- all with delicious flavors and varying textures.

Many of the components can easily be made ahead of time, so it's just a matter of tossing when you're ready to serve.

The Ingredients

• Iceberg lettuce - Look for tight heads of lettuce without any dark spots. They should be heavy for their size. Iceberg has a very mild flavor, and is perfect for cranberry apple salad because of the super crispy and sturdy leaves.
• extra virgin olive oil
• chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders.
• dried cranberries
• Granny Smith apples - Choose firm apples without bruising. Granny Smith apples are slightly tart and very crisp. (Other variety suggestions are listed below.)
• Gouda cheese - Gouda is a firm cow's milk cheese with a wonderful creamy and smooth texture. It's subtly sweet with a nutty-caramel-like flavor.
• scallions (green onions) - Choose scallions with white to very light green bottoms  and bright green crisp tops.  (Use both the tops and bottoms.)
• Caramelized Spiced Pecans - These are easy to make and they add a delicious sweet-spicy crunch to the salad.
• Jalapeño Vinaigrette - This is a creamy vinaigrette that you can make as hot or mild as you'd like.
• salt
• black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

• Iceberg lettuce. Iceberg is my favorite lettuce for this particular salad because of how crispy it is. If you're not a fan, or have another variety on hand, most lettuces will work. Romaine is my second choice.
• Granny Smith apples. Of course you can use any apple variety you love, but I strongly recommend using crisp apples for salads. Granny Smiths can be substituted with Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp or Pink Ladies.
• Gouda cheese. Gruyère, Provolone and Havarti are all good substitutes for Gouda.
• Scallions. You can substitute the scallions with thinly sliced shallots or red onions.
• Caramelized Spiced Pecans. To save time, you can purchase sweet and spicy pecans, or -- for a more subtle flavor -- just use roasted, salted pecan halves. Pistachios would also be great (and pretty!) in this recipe.
• Vegetarian version. For a vegetarian version, you can substitute the chicken with sautéed tofu or crispy quinoa. Or you can simply skip it.
• Vegan version. Omit the cheese and chicken and substitute with tofu, lentils or quinoa. Or you can skip both.

Recipe Tips

• It's helpful to make the chicken at least an hour ahead so it has time to cool.
• You should make the vinaigrette first. This way when you slice the apples they can immediately be coated with it, so they don't brown.
• The thinner the apples are sliced, the more flavor they'll pick up from the vinaigrette.

How to Make it

- Make the pecans. The instructions are linked in the recipe card below. Set aside to cool. (You should have a small amount leftover to snack on.)

- Make the vinaigrette. The instructions are linked in the recipe card below. Pour about ⅓ cup of it into a small to medium-sized bowl and set it aside. (You should have some leftover to save for another use.)

- Coat the bottom of a medium-sized sauté pan with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and add them to the pan.

- Sauté just until they’re cooked through, about 7 minutes, depending on their thickness. Flip them at the halfway point. Once they’re cool, cut them into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

- Wash and dry the apple. Cut it in half lengthwise, and use a melon baller to remove the seeds. Place the halves on a cutting board, round side up and thinly slice them.

- Add the apple slices to the vinaigrette as you go, gently mix to coat them and set aside. (There should be about 2 cups.) Adding them to vinaigrette will add flavor to them and at the same time, it'll prevent them from turning brown.

- In a very large mixing or serving bowl, toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette-coated apples with any excess vinaigrette, scallions, cranberries, Gouda, chicken and pecans.

Serving Suggestions

While easy enough for a busy weeknight dinner, this cranberry apple salad is impressive enough to serve to guests for a casual lunch or dinner.

I love that this salad can stand alone as a meal -- however, you can of course add to it if you'd like. It's excellent with a toasted crusty bread or a simple potato dish.

More Scrumptious Main Course Salad Recipes

• Shredded Chicken Cobb Salad
• Chopped Mexican Salad with Pepitas
• Cannellini Bean Tuna Salad
• Parmesan Asparagus Salad

Can you make it ahead?

Mostly yes! Let's break it down . . .

• Up to 2 weeks ahead: Make the dressing. Keep it stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar. Bring it to room temperature before adding it to the salad.
• Up to 3 days ahead: Make the spiced pecans. Keep them in a tightly sealed container until at room temperature before adding them to the salad.
• Up to 1 day ahead: Sauté the chicken. Once the pieces have cooled completely, refrigerate them in a tightly sealed container. Don't cut them until you're ready to add them to the salad.
• About 15 minutes before serving: Prepare the apples and remaining ingredients and toss everything together.

I hope you love this cranberry apple salad recipe as much as my family and I do.

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