Chicken Harvest Salad
This delectable chicken harvest salad is made with kale, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, and green apple slices. It’s then topped with juicy chicken breast and maple dijon dressing, making it a sweet, savory, and tangy bowl that is sure to delight.
The flavors and textures in this chicken harvest salad are so fun and playful. The fresh kale and nutty quinoa set the base for the salad bowl. The roasted sweet potatoes, tart cranberries, and crisp sliced green apples add not only flavor but textural variety that is much appreciated.
Finally, the chicken is seared to perfection and sliced thinly while the maple dijon vinaigrette brings the whole bowl together with a tangy note.
This post is about how to make an easy and yummy chicken harvest salad.
Chicken Harvest Salad
What do I need to make this chicken salad bowl?
To make this salad, you will need:
- Chicken Breast
- Kale
- Quinoa
- Sweet Potatoes
- Green Apple
- Dried Cranberries
- Maple Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe included)
- Feta Cheese (Optional)
- Walnuts (Optional)
How do I make this salad?
This chicken kale salad is rather simple to make, but it requires multiple steps. This is a great meal prep meal also, so if you decided to double or triple the recipe, you will have all the ingredients ready to toss together when you feel like this salad during the week. Additionally, I’ve included time-savers and shortcuts to making this meal towards the end of the post!
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
I suggest roasting the sweet potatoes first, because as they roast, I can prep the other ingredients.
To roast the sweet potatoes, wash, peel and cut them into cubes. Put the cubes in a bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay out the sweet potato cubes on a large baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until it is soft in the middle and golden brown.
Cook the Quinoa
Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Put the quinoa, water, and salt in a pot on medium-high heat until it boils. Lower the heat to low to maintain a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, put a lid on it for 5-10 minutes to allow the quinoa to pop open. Fluff and it’s done.
Cook the Chicken
As the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the chicken. One chicken breast can make for 1-2 servings, depending on the size. Using a meat tenderizer, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound the chicken until it is all the same thickness (about 3/4 inch). Sprinkle both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Heat up a pan with oil on medium-high heat and gently place the smooth side of the chicken breast down in the hot pan. Let it sear without moving it for about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and flip the chicken over. Allow it to cook through for another 5-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken).
Add a half cup of chicken broth and allow the broth to evaporate (about 2-3 minutes). The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
If the chicken has not reached that internal temperature, you may add more chicken broth and put the lid on the pan and cook for another 5 minutes until the temperature is reached and the chicken is no longer pink on the inside.
Make the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until it comes together. For the full post, refer to Sweet and Tangy Maple Mustard Dressing.
Make the Salad
Toss the shredded kale, quinoa, sweet potatoes, apple slices, and cranberries together with the vinaigrette. Add the thinly sliced chicken breast on top. If you desire, top it off with feta cheese and walnuts.
What are some Time-Savers and Shortcuts to this meal?
- Consider making the quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and chicken in advance and either freeze or refrigerate them until you are ready to make this salad.
- You can also consider using rotisserie chicken on the salad or using pre-cooked chicken breast slices.
- You may also consider purchasing pre-cut and cubed sweet potatoes so all you have to do is roast them.
- The freezer sections at most grocery stores will have frozen, premade quinoa.
- Quinoa can also be made in a rice cooker instead of the stovetop.
If you liked this salad, try these other favorites as well:
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Slivered Almonds and Dates
- Middle Eastern Cucumber Salad
- If you are not fond of quinoa, you can try The Best Basic Bulgur Recipe instead
🖤 Let me know in the comments if you plan on making this or if you did. I love hearing from you!
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🖤 Thank you for visiting and happy cooking! 🙂
This post was about how to make a fun and delicious chicken harvest salad.
Chicken Harvest Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 ½ cups sweet potatoes cubed
- 1 ½ cups quinoa
- 4 cups kale shredded
- ½ green apple sliced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese optional
- ¼ cup walnuts optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
- ½ shallot slices
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash, peel, and cube the sweet potatoes.
- Put the cubes in a bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the sweet potato cubes on a large baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until it is soft in the middle and golden brown.
Make the Quinoa
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer.
- Put the quinoa, water, and salt in a pot on medium-high heat until it boils. Lower the heat to low to maintain a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat, put a lid on it for 5-10 minutes to allow the quinoa to pop open. Fluff and it's done.
Cook the Chicken
- Using a meat tenderizer, cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound the chicken until it is all the same thickness (about 3/4 inch). Sprinkle both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
- Heat up a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat and gently place the smooth side of the chicken breast down in the hot pan. Let it sear without moving it for about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and flip the chicken over. Allow it to cook through for another 5-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken).
- Add a half cup of chicken broth and allow the broth to evaporate (about 2-3 minutes). The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. If that internal temperature has not been reached, add another 1/2 cup chicken broth, put the lid on the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes until the temperature is reached and the chicken is no longer pink on the inside.
Make the Vinaigrette
- Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until it comes together.
Make the Salad
- Toss together the shredded kale, quinoa, sweet potatoes, apple slices, and cranberries with the vinaigrette. Add the thinly sliced chicken breast on top. If you desire, top it off with feta cheese and walnuts.
- Enjoy!
Notes
What are some time-savers and shortcuts to this meal?
- Consider making the quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and chicken in advance and either freeze or refrigerate them until you are ready to make this salad.
- You can also consider using rotisserie chicken on the salad or using pre-cooked chicken breast slices.
- You may also consider purchasing pre-cut and cubed sweet potatoes so all you have to do is roast them.
- The freezer sections at most grocery stores will have frozen, premade quinoa.
- Quinoa can also be made in a rice cooker instead of the stovetop.