Fall Chicken Salad (Easy Autumn Meal Prep Recipe)
This Fall Chicken Salad has the best flavor and is perfect for meal prep or to make if you're having company over for lunch! It's made with shredded chicken and all the different flavors of fall including fresh apples and celery, pecans, chopped dates, fresh thyme, and little pieces of sharp cheddar cheese. The chicken mixture is coated in a delicious yogurt dijon dressing that I love to serve with crunchy crackers!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken (if you don't have cooked chicken, it'll be ¾-1 lbs raw boneless, skinless chicken breast)
- 1 cup apple, diced
- ¾ cup celery, chopped (2-3 stalks)
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces (1 oz)
- ¼ cup Medjool dates, chopped (2-3 dates)
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
For the Dressing
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (or skyr)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use one made with olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste, start with ½ and increase as needed)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- If you have cooked chicken, skip this step. If you need to cook your chicken, preheat the oven to 400℉ (200°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the chicken in olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165℉ (75°C). Let the juicy chicken cool and shred.
- While the chicken is in the oven, chop the celery, red onion, apple, pecans, dates, and fresh thyme. Cut the cheddar cheese into bite-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, make the dressing by combining the ingredients including the yogurt, mayo, Dijon, lemon, maple syrup (if using), kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken, celery, red onion, apple, pecans, dates, cheddar cheese, and fresh thyme to a large mixing bowl.
- Top with the dressing and give everything a good toss.
- Hint: I like to shred my chicken by pulsing it in a food processor.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Be sure to use chicken that is well seasoned for the best flavor and let it cool before adding it to the dressing and other ingredients. My oven baked chicken breast works for this.
- I like to use skyr, which is an Icelandic yogurt similar to Greek yogurt but slightly less tangy.
- Give the chicken salad a taste about 5-10 minutes after combining everything and add more salt to taste as needed.
For more nutrition information and tips, visit mallorythedietitian.com. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 😊
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 19gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 370mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12g
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