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As the harvest season unfolds, this colorful autumn crunch salad brings together the best flavors of fall in one delicious dish. This fresh and delicious autumn salad with chicken isn’t a recipe you’d want to miss out on. It’s a mouthwatering combination of fruit, nuts, feta cheese, chicken breasts, and also a tasty homemade dressing. This salad not only showcases the best of autumn but also makes for a stunning centerpiece at any gathering. Best of all, you can whip it up in just half an hour, making it a fantastic option for busy weeknights or special gatherings. It’s colorful, fresh-flavored and, despite the name, perfect for any season or occasion.
Juicy chicken, fruit, salad greens, nuts, and feta cheese pair with a tangy dressing made with mustard, balsamic vinegar, honey and more, for a nicely balanced dish.
You might also like chicken Caesar pasta salad, some radicchio endive chicken salad, or how about this sesame avocado Asian chicken salad?
Why You’ll Love It
Full of fresh flavors: Fresh kale and arugula pair with fresh apples and pears to add plenty of fresh flavor appeal to this autumn chopped chicken salad.
Easy to prepare: You need to cook the chicken breasts and slice them, whisk the dressing ingredients together and arrange everything on a serving platter or plates. Simple!
A versatile option: You can serve smaller portions as an appetizer or larger ones as a main course.
Brimming with nutrients: The fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and chicken offer nutrients, making this a healthy lunch or dinner option.
Fall Salad with Chicken Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Chicken breasts: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts to make this autumn chicken salad. You can use chicken thighs if you prefer those. Or use leftover cooked sliced chicken.
Salad greens: Kale and arugula offer color and flavor.
Fresh fruit: Fresh apples and pears add that wonderful autumnal taste.
Almonds: For crunch.
Dried cranberries: These add a contrasting texture and some sweetness.
Feta cheese: Creamy, tangy and a nice contrast with the fruit flavors. Creamy goat cheese also works in this delicious salad.
Mayonnaise: For the dressing.
Balsamic vinegar: Adds flavor to the dressing.
Honey: For sweetness in the dressing.
Garlic powder: To season the chicken and also the dressing.
Dijon mustard: Such a nice contrast with the sweet honey.
How to Make Autumn Crunch Salad
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the chicken: Season the chicken and sauté in olive oil until cooked through. Let it cool a bit before slicing.
Make the salad dressing: Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together.
Assemble the autumn chopped chicken salad: Add the kale and arugula to a serving platter or plates and top with the fruit, nuts, cheese, and chicken. Serve immediately, with the salad dressing.
Substitutions and Variations
Another cheese: Try crumbled goat cheese, parmesan or blue cheese in place of the feta cheese.
Different protein: Roasted or grilled salmon, shrimp, turkey, chickpeas, or white beans would all be good in this salad.
Apple varieties: Crisp apples such as Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Pink Lady are good.
Salad greens: Not a fan of kale or arugula? Sub spinach, butter lettuce or spring mix.
Keep it sweet: Swap the honey for a tablespoon of brown sugar or a splash of agave or maple syrup.
Switch the nuts: Although almond slices are always good, you can use toasted pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts, if preferred.
Add root vegetables: Roasted butternut squash and sweet potato are tasty chicken salad ingredients.
Add bacon: Throw in some crumbled crispy bacon.
Use cooked chicken: If you prefer to start off with rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken, you can shorten the prep time.
Serving Suggestions
As an appetizer: Enjoy this salad with some crusty bread and butter or garlic bread or focaccia.
As the main course: This chopped chicken salad would be good served with baked feta soup, butternut squash soup or one of these vegetable soups.
Desserts: Why not finish the meal with Italian almond cake or one of these fall desserts?
How to Store Pear Honeycrisp Kale Arugula Chicken Salad
Store: Autumn chopped chicken salad is best served the same day but you can keep the chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you keep the dressing separate, the salad should stay fresh for 24 hours (cover the platter or plates in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out). The dressing will stay fresh in a container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Whisk or shake well before using.
Freeze: Don’t freeze this recipe – the fruit and salad greens would just thaw out mushy.
Top Tips
Toast the nuts: I prefer to toast the nuts (although it’s optional). Bake them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes at 350°F or in a dry skillet until fragrant.
Serve the dressing separately: You can drizzle the dressing over the salad if you’re serving it immediately, but it’s best to serve it alongside the salad so that people can choose how much to add and so it doesn’t sit for a while and make the salad soggy.
Save time with cooked chicken: You can cut the prep time in half by using rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken. Simply cut it into slices.
Fall Harvest Salad with Chicken FAQs
Yes, you can swap the chicken slices for beans, pulses, tofu, or extra vegetables.
Kosher salt tends to be coarser than table salt and fine sea salt. For that reason, it takes up more space and you will need slightly less of the finer replacement in many recipes. However, since you’re only using a small amount in the salad, the difference is negligible so you can use a similar amount. Or add slightly less to the dressing and taste it. You can add a little more if needed.
You can slice the chicken and assemble the salad while the chicken is still warm if you want a warm component on the dish. Or you can serve the whole salad chilled, as you prefer.
Harvest Salad with Chicken Recipe
Autumn Salad with Chicken
Equipment
- Skillet Large
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 Pound chicken breasts, 2 large, trimmed and halved lengthwise
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ Teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Cups kale
- 2 Cups arugula
- 2 pears, ripe, cored and sliced
- 2 apples, Honeycrisp, cored and sliced
- ¼ Cup dried cranberries
- ½ Cup almonds, sliced
- ½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing:
- ¾ Cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Teaspoon olive oil
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 Tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Season the chicken with garlic powder, salt and black pepper on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 8 minutes on one side. Flip and continue cooking for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Add the kale and arugula to a serving bowl or platter. Top it with the sliced pears, apples, cranberries, almonds, feta cheese, and sliced chicken.
- Serve the creamy balsamic vinegar dressing alongside the salad to keep the ingredients crisp and fresh.
Notes
Serve the dressing separately: You can drizzle the dressing over the salad if you’re serving it immediately, but it’s best to serve it alongside the salad so that people can choose how much to add and so it doesn’t sit for a while and make the salad soggy.
Save time with cooked chicken: You can cut the prep time in half by using rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken. Simply cut it into slices.
Nutrition
A wonderful addition to your holiday table or a fresh and flavorful appetizer or light meal whenever you choose, this amazing autumn salad with chicken is well worth making. It has all those harvest fall flavors – fresh fruit, nuts and a tangy sweet dressing – and looks appetizing and colorful. This is an absolutely delicious chopped salad which will impress everyone at the table (but is really simple to prepare!)
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
The mix of fresh ingredients in this autumn crunch salad was amazing—so vibrant and tasty! Definitely making this again for gatherings.
So crunchy and delicious with pears and apples!