Fall Chicken Chopped Salad
Fall Chicken Chopped Salad is a high protein lunch with roasted sweet potatoes, apples, cranberries, feta, pecans, and apple cider Dijon dressing.
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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
Serving Size: 2½ Cups
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
Calories: 442kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 34gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 847mgPotassium: 1063mgFiber: 7gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 15903IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 2mg
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