Apple-Pecan Chicken Salad

I need y’all to know, photographing recipes as the days get shorter, and especially after daylight savings time ends, is the STRUGGLE!

If it doesn’t get done on the weekend, it takes forever to get done, which is why I promised you more apple recipes a full month ago…and I’m just now doing it.

So let’s revisit what we’ve already done shall we? The last recipe I posted was a Pork-Apple Stew. Man, was that good! That was the dinner recipe. Today I’m going to share with you a lunch recipe.

Chicken salad is my go-to for work lunches. It’s tasty. You can do a million different things with it. And, probably most importantly, my pouch likes it! Plus, it takes just minutes to throw together.

My conundrum (in eating and photographing chicken salad) has always been…what to put it on? I’ve tried several things, like my Power Chicken Salad that I eat on jicama “crackers.” And, let’s keep it real, I’m not opposed to eating it on actual crackers. And, depending on the type of chicken salad, I’ll eat it on apple slices.

But for this recipe, none of those options seemed quite right. So I did something bold. Something brave. Something I rarely do.

I just ate the damn chicken salad out of a bowl and called it a day.

And that totally WORKS for this recipe! The chicken brings the savory. The apples and pecan bring both flavor and crunch. Really…why does this even need anything else? I could just eat this and be happy and crunchy! (Sidebar: laugh if you want, but I had no idea the adjective “crunchy” had any other meaning than the texture of food. I have since been educated!)

Now…a few notes on this one:

1. I used a leftover four-ounce chicken breast to make this. I highly suggest actual chicken breast over the canned stuff unless you can’t tolerate the canned stuff. It tastes better, you can season it the way you like it, and the texture can’t be beat!
2. Unless you absolutely hate it (or it makes you sick) don’t skip the Dijon. It sorta makes the whole damn thing.
3. You can try whatever apple you like, but I’d advise against a really tart apple like a Granny Smith. Pink Lady always works well for me. Honeycrisp is a tad too sweet.
4. (I’m trying to figure out how to say this without setting off my inner 12-year old). Try different kinds of nuts. Almonds, walnuts all would work here. Just be careful with your portioning. Nuts have good fat, but too much of anything is still too much!

Apple-Pecan Chicken Salad

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This quick-prep chicken salad hits all the right notes. Savory, sweet, smooth and crunchy. Loaded with protein with a healthy dose of complex carbs and healthy fats.

Servings	Prep Time
1-2 servings	5 minutes

Cook Time

0 mintues

Servings Prep Time 1-2 servings 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 mintues

Apple-Pecan Chicken Salad Print Recipe This quick-prep chicken salad hits all the right notes. Savory, sweet, smooth and crunchy. Loaded with protein with a healthy dose of complex carbs and healthy fats. Servings Prep Time 1-2 servings 5 minutes Cook Time 0 mintues Servings Prep Time 1-2 servings 5 minutes Cook Time 0 mintues

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cooked chicken breast diced or shredded
• 2 tbsp. yellow onion finely diced or minced
• 1/2 a sweet apple, diced (I used PInk Lady)
• 2 tbsp. crushed pecan pieces
• 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. mayo (low-fat, full-fat, your choice!)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Servings: servings

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly! Refrigerate until serving.

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