Savour Fall flavours with this Fennel Apple Chicken Salad. Made with pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken, mixed baby greens, shaved fennel, apple slices, and pumpkin spice pecans, this apple fennel salad with chicken makes a healthy salad for two for lunch or a light dinner.
Are you ready to dive into the flavours of Fall?
I am! Once summer seems to be on its way out I love to make this Fennel Apple Chicken Salad. It has a base of baby spinach and mixed greens with shaved fennel, sweet apple slices, crispy cucumber and pumpkin spice pecans. And for extra protein and to make it a meal, a cooked chicken breast!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's an easy-peasy beautiful salad that makes a nutritious light dinner or lunch.
- It's a little different from your run-of-the-mill spinach salad!
- Crisp apples and crunchy pecans with hints of fennel bring all those cozy Fall feels to your table.
🛒 Ingredients
To make this apple fennel salad with chicken, you will need:
- fresh baby greens. Use baby spinach or a mix of baby kale, chard, and spinach, or your favourite salad mixture.
- one large or two small cooked chicken breasts
- half a sweet apple
- half a fennel bulb
- half a cucumber
- ¼ cup of my Low-Carb Roasted Pumpkin Spice Pecans
🔪 How to make this apple fennel salad
- Make the dressing first. Combine the ingredients in a small jar with a lid and give it a good shake.
- Arrange the washed and dried greens in a bowl, then top with thinly sliced apples, thinly sliced cooked chicken breast, cucumber and fennel.
- Top with pumpkin spice pecans, toss with the dressing and serve.
I love all the fall touches in this salad. I usually use a sweet Gala or Honeycrisp apple (and I pick one with a bright red peel to make this salad pretty), crisp, crunchy, anise-flavoured fennel, dark nutrient-rich leafy greens and the best part--Pumpkin Spice Pecans! Save a few of the fennel fronds to use as a garnish and for extra flavour.
🔁 Possible Variations
This salad is dairy-free, but if you like you could add a few shavings of Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
I dress it with a simple lemon vinaigrette, but if you prefer a creamy dressing (which would also be dreamy with this salad), add ½ cup of thick Greek yogurt to the dressing ingredients and whisk until well incorporated.
It's also incredibly delicious with Maple Balsamic Dressing that I use with this Broccoli Apple Salad and Winter Persimmon Kale Salad.
👍🏼 Helpful tip
My kitchen motto is "Cook once, eat twice." If I can double a recipe and repurpose it the following day, I consider that a win.
Next time you cook chicken breasts or thighs, cook a few extra and either refrigerate for the following day, or freeze. Having a pre-cooked chicken on hand makes this a fast dinner to put together. Using rotisserie chicken would be just as convenient.
❓How to cut a fennel bulb
Tackling a head of fennel can be confusing, but this video does a great job of showing how easy it can be! Once you have the fennel bulb prepared, use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices from the bulb to add to this salad.
🗒 More recipes for dinner salads
Here are a few of my other favourite quick and nutritious chicken salads you may want to try soon.
- 30-Minute Chimichurri Chicken Dinner Salad
- Caribbean Shredded Jerk Chicken Salad
- Marinated Lemon Chicken Greek Salad with Mint
- Blackberry Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
- Skinny Chopped Chicken Taco Salad
When you make this chicken salad with apples and fennel, please leave a comment and a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you or how you adapted them. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
🗒 More healthy salads and homemade dressings
Fennel Apple Chicken Salad with Pumpkin Spice Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 cups baby spinach or mixed baby greens (chard, kale, spinach)
- 1 large cooked chicken breast boneless, skinless
- ½ medium apple unpeeled *substitute raspberries for keto diet
- 1 small fennel bulb shaved
- ½ medium cucumber sliced
- ¼ cup Pumpkin Spice Pecans
- fennel fronds for garnish
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon 0-calorie sweetener for Keto, (like Erythritol or Swerve) or 2 teaspoon honey, maple syrup or sugar
- ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Arrange washed and dried baby spinach leaves on a platter or in a shallow bowl.
- Whisk lemon juice, sweetener and Dijon mustard until smooth. Gradually add olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle over salad, toss and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2018. It has been updated with extra information to make it more helpful. The recipe remains the same.
Evi
Love the flavors in this fall salad. I added cheddar cheese cubes. Rave reviews!
Elaine
Great idea!
Dierdre
This is so pretty! I love that it uses rotisserie chicken too. So easy. Pinning!
Terri
Cook once, eat twice is my motto too! I love how easy, fresh and delicious this salad is!
Flavour & Savour
It's a great motto to adopt! Thanks, Terri!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
This is my kind of salad Elaine! Love the crunchy apple slices and pumpkin spice pecans! Pinning this one to make soon!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Leanne!
Kristen
This is my kind of salad, I love love love fennel in almost anything. Can't wait to try it.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kristen! Hope you love it too!
Elaine