Fall Chicken Chopped Salad has a mix of warm roasted ingredients, crisp vegetables, fruit, cheese, and nuts in every serving. Chicken breast and sweet potatoes make it filling, while romaine, celery, and red onion add crunch.
Chopped apple and dried cranberries add sweetness without turning the salad into a dessert. Feta cheese adds a salty bite, and pecans give the salad more texture.
Everything is finished with a creamy apple cider Dijon dressing made with Greek yogurt, honey, vinegar, mustard, and cinnamon.
Serve this high protein salad for lunch, dinner, or fall meal prep. It also works well when you need a seasonal main dish that can be prepared ahead in separate containers.
Store the dressing on the side until serving so the romaine stays crisp.
Why You’ll Love This Fall Chicken Chopped Salad
High Protein
Each serving has 34 grams of protein, making it a filling lunch or dinner.
Fall Flavors
Sweet potatoes, apples, cranberries, pecans, and cinnamon give this salad a seasonal taste.
Sweet and Savory
Fruit and honey balance the chicken, feta, Dijon mustard, and red onion.
Meal Prep Friendly
Prepare the ingredients ahead and store the dressing separately until serving.
Creamy Dressing
Greek yogurt makes the apple cider Dijon dressing creamy and tangy.
Ingredient Substitutions
Chicken Breast
Use cooked turkey breast or leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken breast. Remove the skin from rotisserie chicken before chopping it.
Sweet Potatoes
Butternut squash can replace the sweet potatoes. Cut it into small, evenly sized pieces and roast until tender.
Romaine Lettuce
Use chopped green leaf lettuce, kale, or a mix of romaine and baby spinach. Massage chopped kale with a small amount of dressing before adding the remaining ingredients.
Apple
Use a firm apple that holds its shape after chopping. Pears can also replace the apple for a softer texture.
Dried Cranberries
Use dried cherries, raisins, or chopped dried apricots. Choose unsweetened or reduced-sugar dried fruit when available.
Feta Cheese
Reduced-fat goat cheese or blue cheese can replace the feta. For a milder option, use reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
Pecans
Use walnuts, sliced almonds, or pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are a useful option for a nut-free salad.
Greek Yogurt
Use plain low-fat yogurt or dairy-free plain yogurt with a thick texture. The dressing may be thinner when made with regular yogurt.
Honey
Maple syrup can replace the honey in the dressing. Use the same amount and adjust after tasting.
Dijon Mustard
Use whole-grain mustard or yellow mustard. Yellow mustard will give the dressing a sharper mustard taste.
Apple Cider Vinegar
White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar can replace the apple cider vinegar. The finished dressing will have a slightly different taste.
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Fall 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
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 large apple chopped
- ¾ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- ½ cup reduced-fat feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
For the Apple Cider Dijon Dressing:
- ½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Toss until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated. Spread the sweet potatoes into a single layer.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until tender.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Let the sweet potatoes cool for 10 minutes.
- Coat the chicken breast with the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes.
- Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the romaine lettuce, chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, apple, celery, dried cranberries, feta cheese, red onion, pecans, and parsley.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, water, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper. Using a wire whisk, mix the dressing until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the ingredients are evenly coated.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Choose a firm apple – Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples hold their shape after chopping. Prevent the apple from browning – Toss the chopped apple with a small amount of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice when preparing it ahead. Cool the warm ingredients – Let the chicken and sweet potatoes cool before adding them to the romaine. Hot ingredients can soften the lettuce. Keep the dressing separate for meal prep – Store the dressing in a small sealed container and add it shortly before serving. Toast the pecans – Toasting the pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes gives them a deeper nutty taste. Let them cool before adding them to the salad.Storing
Store the salad components separately – Place the chicken, sweet potatoes, salad ingredients, and dressing in separate airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store an assembled salad – Refrigerate leftover dressed salad in an airtight container for up to 1 day. The lettuce will soften as it sits. Keep the apple fresh – Coat chopped apple with a small amount of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar before refrigerating. Store the dressing – Refrigerate the apple cider Dijon dressing in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Stir or whisk before serving. Freeze the chicken – Cooked chicken can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The lettuce, apples, dressing, and assembled salad should not be frozen.Nutrition
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