Every once in a while, you just need a good salad. There is something really enjoyable about a well-balanced salad. A little sweet, a little savory, a little crunch. For about the past year, I’ve also been making my own salad dressings. It is one of the simplest things that you can do. I’d recommend investing in a few mason jars, if you don’t already have some around the house. Mason jars are perfect for making and storing salad dressings. You can literally throw everything into the mason jar, put the lid on, give it a good shake and voila- you’ve got salad dressing. Seriously, consider making your own salad dressing! Have you ever checked out the ingredients on a bottle of dressing? It’s a lot longer than it should be. Start with a vinaigrette, they’re super easy.
For this salad, I used Roasted Candied Pecans. The pecans take an hour to make, so you’re going to want to make them ahead of time. If you don’t have the time to make these pecans, you can substitute plain Jane roasted pecans. But, if you have the time, please make these pecans. Please. They are so so good and they are so wonderful in this salad. Here is the link 👇🏻
As far as the chicken goes, you can pretty much use any chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. I would recommend cubed chicken over shredded because it holds up better. I took 2 chicken breasts, brushed melted butter on both sides, sprinkled the chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Baked the chicken at 450 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken reached an internal temp of 165 degrees. Let it cool and then cubed it up.
The balsamic vinaigrette is super simple to make. Grab a mason jar and add the balsamic vinegar, EVOO, honey, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the lid on the mason jar and give it a good shake for about 30 seconds until everything is well incorporated.
Now that you have the chicken, balsamic vinaigrette and the candied pecans out of the way, it’s smooth sailing from here. Grab a big bowl and add the baby spring mix. You could use romaine, spinach, any type of green that you like. Toss in the sliced Honeycrisp apple, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds and cubed chicken breast. Dot the salad with some crumbled goat cheese and then drizzle on the vinaigrette. Divide the salad among 4 bowls and ENJOY!
**Recipe adapted from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
| Prep Time | 15 Minutes |
| Servings |
Servings
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- 5 Oz Baby Spring Mix
- 1/2 Cup Pomegranate Seeds
- 4 Oz Goat Cheese
- 1 Large Honeycrisp Apple, cut into thin slices
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast, cut into 1/2” cubes
- 2 Cups Roasted Candied Pecans See recipe link
- 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup EVOO
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, finely minced
- 1 1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
Ingredients
For the Salad
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
|
|
- You can make the balsamic vinaigrette ahead of time. To a mason jar, add all of the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients, put the lid on and give it a good shake (for about 30 seconds). Set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the baby spring mix, sliced apples, pomegranate seeds, roasted candied pecans and the cubed chicken breast. Dot the salad with the goat cheese and drizzle with the vinaigrette.
- Divide the salad among 4 bowls and enjoy!
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.