Harvest Smoked Chicken Salad
Smoked chicken is mixed with butter lettuce, arugula, grapes, pecans, sharp cheddar, avocado and hard-boiled eggs. Then, it's all tossed with a Dijon maple vinaigrette. This is an easy smoked chicken salad recipe that can be made in advance and is perfect for Fall!
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Salad
- ½ pound Smoked chicken shredded
- 4 oz Butter Lettuce or 1 package, about 1 large head
- 2-3 cups Baby Arugula
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Grapes halved
- ½ cup Pecans toasted and chopped
- ½ cup SHARP cheddar cheese crumbled, or blue cheese
- 1-2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme optional but recommended
- 1 medium avocado diced
- 1 teaspoon Flaky Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup White Balsamic Vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoon Maple Syrup pure, adjust to your sweetness preference
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard like Grey Poupon
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Thyme fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently add the eggs by slowly lowering them into the water with a slotted spoon. Boil the eggs for 3 minutes with the lid on. Then, turn off the heat and let sit for 6 minutes with the lid on. While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath with half water and half ice and toast the pecans. After the 6 minutes are up carefully transfer the eggs to the ice bath with the slotted spoon. Cool in the ice bath for 5-10 minutes. Then peel and slice the eggs.
- Toast the pecans. Heat the oven to 400F. On a sheet tray add the pecans and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool, and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a personal blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. *See note 1 if you don't own a personal blender.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl combine: lettuce, arugula, smoked chicken, grapes, pecans, cheese, avocado, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently to combine. Top with the sliced hard-boiled eggs and serve. Alternatively, assemble the salad, then serve the dressing on the side.
Notes
Note 1. If you don't have a personal blender, finely mince the garlic and add all ingredients to a mason jar, cover with a lid, and shake until well combined.
STORE: Store, refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Store the dressing separately.
MAKE AHEAD: Assemble the salad without the dressing, pecans, and avocado. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before serving. I like to wrap the pecans in plastic wrap and store them with the salad so they don't get soggy.
Wait to cut the avocado just before serving. Store the dressing in a separate container on the side.
Tips and Tricks
- Use cold chicken. I find cold smoked chicken adds more smoky flavor to the salad. You can use warm chicken if you prefer.
- Crumble the cheese. Break the sharp cheddar into small, bite-sized chunks to add more texture to the salad. Of course, you can cut or shred the cheese however you want. I find crumbling the cheese adds a fun texture to the salad.
- Toast the pecans. Optional, but toasted pecans add a toasty flavor that goes well with the smoked chicken and maple vinaigrette.
- Use fresh thyme. You can use dried if you don't have access to fresh thyme
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25gCalories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 21gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 1063mgPotassium: 673mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1735IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 171mgIron: 3mg
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