Apple Cheddar Chicken Chopped Salad gives you a full meal with cooked chicken breast, crisp romaine, sweet apples, celery, cucumber, sharp cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans.
A creamy apple cider dressing ties everything together with Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar.
This salad has a mix of sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy ingredients without making lunch feel heavy. Each serving has 43 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, making it a filling choice for lunch or dinner.
Serve it during apple season, prepare it for a weekday lunch, or use leftover chicken from another meal. Keep the dressing separate when packing it ahead so the romaine stays crisp.
A salad container with separate compartments can help keep the toppings and dressing apart until serving.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cheddar Chicken Chopped Salad
High Protein Meal
Each serving has 43 grams of protein from chicken breast, Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and pecans.
Ready in 20 Minutes
The salad requires no additional cooking when you start with cooked chicken. Chop the ingredients, mix the dressing, and combine everything before serving.
Sweet and Savory Ingredients
Apples, cranberries, and honey add sweetness. Chicken, cheddar, Dijon mustard, and red onion balance the salad with savory and tangy notes.
Plenty of Crunch
Romaine, apples, celery, cucumber, and pecans give the salad several crisp textures.
Useful for Meal Prep
Prepare the salad ingredients and dressing in separate containers. Combine them shortly before serving to keep the lettuce from becoming soft.
Ingredient Substitutions
Chicken Breast
Use cooked turkey breast or rotisserie chicken in place of the cooked chicken breast. Remove the skin from rotisserie chicken before chopping it.
Romaine Lettuce
Replace the romaine with chopped green leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or a mix of romaine and baby spinach.
Apples
Use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, or Gala apples for a sweeter salad. Granny Smith apples add a more tart flavor.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Replace the cheddar with reduced-fat Colby Jack, Swiss cheese, crumbled feta, or goat cheese.
Pecans
Use chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, or sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are a useful option when avoiding tree nuts.
Dried Cranberries
Replace the cranberries with dried cherries, raisins, or chopped dried apricots.
Greek Yogurt
Use plain low-fat Greek yogurt or plain skyr. Regular plain yogurt may make the dressing thinner.
Light Mayonnaise
Replace the mayonnaise with an equal amount of Greek yogurt. The dressing will taste tangier and contain less richness.
Honey
Use maple syrup in place of the honey.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Replace it with white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Begin with a smaller amount and add more as needed.
Dijon Mustard
Use whole-grain mustard or yellow mustard. Yellow mustard will have a sharper vinegar taste.
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Apple Cheddar Chicken Chopped Salad
Recipes are written with one action per step for accessibility. Short lines. Fewer rereads. A calmer kitchen on mobile or desktop.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast chopped
- 2 large apples chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- ¾ cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese diced
- ½ cup cucumbers chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
For the Creamy Apple Cider Dressing:
- ½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon light Mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the romaine lettuce, chicken, apples, celery, cheddar cheese, cucumber, red onion, dried cranberries, pecans, and parsley.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Using a wire whisk, mix the dressing until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad.
- Toss the salad until all of the ingredients are coated with dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Choose firm apples – Firm apples hold their shape and add more crunch. Softer apples may release extra liquid into the salad. Prevent the apples from browning – Toss the chopped apples with a small amount of lemon juice when preparing the salad ahead. Cool the chicken before adding it – Warm chicken can soften the lettuce and melt the cheese. Use chilled or room-temperature chicken. Keep the pecans separate for meal prep – Add the pecans before serving so they keep their crunch.Storing
Store the salad – Place the undressed salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the dressing – Refrigerate the dressing in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Stir it before serving. Store leftovers with dressing – Refrigerate dressed salad in an airtight container and use it within 1 day. The lettuce will soften as it sits. Meal prep – Divide the chicken, vegetables, fruit, cheese, cranberries, and pecans among containers. Store the dressing separately until serving.Nutrition
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