Apple Salad

Make super-easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.

Quick and Easy Apple Salad

Apple Salad is so fast and easy to make. It’s a breeze to assemble, with store-bought rotisserie chicken and store-bought candied pecans.

I don’t know how it happened, but my boys literally beg to eat salads for lunch or dinner. I couldn’t be happier about that because I love throwing together a big salad and making it a meal. Without much thought, I whipped up this apple salad using a few pears that were ripe and apples that needed to be used and my boys declared this the best salad ever. So obviously, it needs to be shared here!

The dressing is tangy and acidic, but overall subtle. It’s a dressing that lets the salad and each individual ingredient shine through. It’s not overpowering but is a great complement to the ingredients. I add a pinch of ground cinnamon to the dressing, which is the perfect accent to the apples, pears, and dried cherries.

What is the best apple to use?

When adding apples to a salad, you want a good crunchy apple that won’t brown quickly after being sliced. The best varieties are Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jazz, Empire, Pink Lady,  and Envy. My personal favorite in this salad is Honeycrisp or Pink Lady.

Drizzle fresh lemon on the cut apples to keep them from browning as quickly.

Apple Salad shortcuts

I mentioned a few shortcuts that make this salad really quick. I often make a big salad whenever we have leftover grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken that needs to be used. Our local grocery store will sell rotisserie chickens that are about to expire for $2-$3, so I’ll occasionally pick one up and make a salad. 

Another shortcut is using candied pecans. Already-made candied pecans are typically sold in “salad topper” packets in the grocery store. Of course, you can make your own, but if you want the salad to come together quickly at lunch or dinner time, I recommend using some pre-made candied nuts from the store. Here’s my favorite candied pecans recipe.

And how about one other shortcut I like to employ? Try making a double or triple batch of salad dressing at the beginning of the week. With dressing already made, chicken already seasoned and cooked, and pecans already candied, it’s just about assembling the salad.

Make-ahead and storage tips

• This salad doesn’t sit well once dressed, but it can be prepared, made ahead, and stored as long as ingredients are stored separately. (Lettuce, chicken, cheese, dried cherries, and pecans in separate containers — slice up the pear and apple right before eating). 
• Dressing stays good for 5 to 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be made ahead of time — just shake it up before dressing your salad. Only dress enough salad for one meal’s use.

QUICK TIP

Don’t be alarmed if your refrigerated dressing looks lumpy. That’s just the olive oil doing what olive oil does: it solidifies at cold temperatures! Just remove the dressing from the fridge and let it stand on the counter for 20 minutes. It will warm just enough to melt the olive oil clumps. Shake and it’s ready to use.

Quick tips

• The ingredients you use matter. Make sure to get good, ripe fruit, or the Apple Salad won’t be as good texturally or taste wise. Good olive oil and apple cider vinegar make all the difference in the dressing.
• Cut apples and pears right before serving. Even if you add lemon juice, these fruits will brown faster than you’d like. Cut them up and add them to the salad as close to serving time as possible.
• Season. Don’t forget a little sprinkle of salt at the end; it will intensify and balance all the flavors going on in the salad.

More salad recipes:

• Crispy Chicken Salad another shortcut salad recipe!
• Thanksgiving Salad with roasted butternut squash
• Creamy retro Grape Salad
• BBQ Chicken Salad with a creamy cilantro-lime dressing
• Chicken Salad reader favorite recipe

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Apple Salad

5 from 8 votes

- Review this recipe

Easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie (or leftover) chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Apple Salad

5 from 8 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Easy Apple Salad with mixed greens, sliced apple and pear, rotisserie (or leftover) chicken, dried cherries, candied pecans, and crumbled cheese. This salad has an apple cider vinaigrette which takes just minutes to whip together.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword apple salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 large salad servings

Calories 381kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $8.82

Ingredients

Salad

• ▢ 8 cups fresh mixed greens lettuce
• ▢ 1 large apple, thinly sliced or chopped (such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
• ▢ 1 large pear, thinly sliced or chopped
• ▢ 2 and 1/2 cups shredded seasoned rotisserie chicken
• ▢ 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (or dried cranberries)
• ▢ 1/2 cup candied pecans
• ▢ 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta or gorgonzola cheese)

Dressing

• ▢ 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey
• ▢ 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon EACH: ground cinnamon, fine sea salt, ground pepper
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

• SALAD: Place the salad greens in a large bow;, core and thinly slice apples and pears (peel if desired); slice or chop the chicken and add that in; add in the dried tart cherries.
• DRESSING: Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust to personal preferences.
• FINISHING SALAD: Toss the salad with 80% of the dressing and then add in the candied and coarsely chopped pecans. Top with crumbled cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt if desired. Serve immediately.
• STORAGE: Only add dressing, nuts, and cheese to what you will eat right away, because leftovers get soggy. You can store the salad, nuts, cheese, and dressing separately for delicious leftovers or meal prep for the week; just add in freshly sliced apples or pears and assemble right before eating.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4large salad servings | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 27.1g | Fat: 18.1g | Cholesterol: 89.1mg | Sodium: 227mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 22.7g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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