Rich, festive, and full of fresh fall flavors!! This Fall Harvest Salad with Pecan Crusted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes checks all the boxes! It features a bed of greens with apples, sweet potatoes and goat cheese topped with juicy Pecan Crusted Chicken and sweet Honey Mustard Dressing! The combination of flavors in this delicious salad just screams FALL!!
You guys, this delicious fall harvest salad will quickly become one of your favorite fall recipes! It is absolutely is the PERFECT salad for fall!
It features a base of greens (you can pick you favorite) topped with sweet apples, roasted sweet potatoes, creamy goat cheese and crunchy, tender pecan-crusted chicken. It’s savory, sweet, light, hearty, crunchy, and creamy. All our favorite fall flavors and truly just a dream come true!!
This is protein-packed, hearty salad that is perfect for an entree, but you can also omit the Pecan Crusted Chicken and use this harvest salad as a side dish. It would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas spread!
And you don’t have keep the same toppings either. Make it your own by adding in your favorite salad toppers or whatever delicious leftovers you have on hand!
You could do pears instead of the apples or feta instead of goat cheese. Or try adding some pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, or your favorite nuts for extra crunch! The possibilities are endless with this fall harvest salad recipe. It’s seriously one of the BEST fall salad recipes I’ve tasted!!
And probably the best part even is that you can prep the ingredients in advance. So you have everything all cooked and ready to assemble when it comes time to eat! Easy peasy!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS FALL HARVEST SALAD
- It’s tangy, sweet, fresh, and delicious, hitting all the flavor spots!
- SO FESTIVE! It makes the perfect fall-time meal!
- Macro-friendly & nutritious. Packed with protein and all kind of vitamins and minerals!
- Easy to switch up + modify the toppings & dressings to your preferences.
- Perfect for meal prep! Just store your dressing separately.
- Doubles as an entree and side. Serve as a main dish or omit the chicken and serve this delicious salad as a side salad!
INGREDIENTS
- Mixed greens – Arugula, spring mix, chopped kale – any greens of your choice work great!
- Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders – If you didn’t want to use the Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders, you can bake your own chicken breast or even use rotisserie chicken.
- Sweet potatoes – Russet and Yukon potatoes would also be good here. Or you could use butternut squash!
- Olive oil – or avocado oil.
- Apples – I used a honey crisp apple. Pink Lady, Granny Smith – any variety will work! Use your favorite.
- Goat cheese– I suggest using the log and not the crumbled variety. The log is much more moist and so much better!
- Dressing of choice – I love my Skinny Honey Mustard Dressing with this. Recipe in notes of recipe card.
HOW TO MAKE
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Finely dice sweet potatoes into even sized cubes. (I used the smallest setting on my vegetable chopper for this).
- Cook sweet potatoes: Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste). Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place the potatoes in a single layer and cook for 20 minutes, tossing half way through, or until crispy.
- Make the homemade dressing: Meanwhile, mix all the dressing ingredients for the Honey Mustard dressing together in a bowl or jar (if using).
- To assemble each salad: Add the mixed greens to the bowl. Top with sliced (and warmed) Pecan Crusted Chicken, sweet potatoes, diced apple and goat cheese. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle and toss with honey mustard dressing or your favorite dressing. Don’t forget to drizzle your Pecan Crusted Chicken with honey if you haven’t already!
HOW TO STORE
Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge. Without salad dressing, salad will stay fresh in the fridge, covered, for 5-7 days.
Store dressing separately in a small mason jar with a lid in the fridge.
SWITCH IT UP!
- Want more of that yummy crunchy texture? Trying adding pumpkin seeds, pomegranate arils, or red onions! You could also add a little bit of chopped pecans or walnuts for a nutty flavor and extra crunch.
- Try subbing roasted butternut squash for the sweet potato.
- Replace the crispy apples with sweet pears or your favorite fall harvest produce.
- Add a touch of maple syrup for a bit of added fall flavored sweetness!
- Play around this different cheese’s- Feta cheese or blue cheese would taste amazing here too!
- Adding some smoky bacon on top would also give this salad an amazing savory flavor boost!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: FALL HARVEST SALAD
Yes! You can use any dressing of choice here! A simple balsamic vinaigrette, such as my Light Balsamic Dressing would taste amazing as well!
Of course! This salad stays fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. Just add your favorite dressing when ready to eat!
Use any protein of choice! My Balsamic Chicken or Air Fryer Grilled Nuggets would be great options as well!
Any apple variation works great! I used honey crisp apples because they are my favorite. Crunchy apples work best!
Sure thing! If you wish to cook sweet potatoes in the oven, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste). Then, bake for about 20 minutes at 400 F, or until sweet potatoes are browned to liking.
OTHER SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
- Cheeseburger Salad with Skinny Special Sauce
- Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad
- Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad
- Balsamic Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you try this Fall Harvest Salad with Pecan Chicken and Sweet Potatoes and love it, please give this recipe a star rating!
You can also tag me on Instagram or TikTok, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!
Fall Harvest Salad w/ Pecan Crusted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For all the salads:
- 15- oz. Mixed greens – or kale arugula, spinach, etc.
- Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders
- 1 large sweet potato finely diced (470g)
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 8g
- 1 large honeycrisp apple finely diced
- 2.5- oz. Goat cheese 70g – use the log, not the pre-crumbled
To assemble each salad:
- 3- oz. mixed greens
- 1 Air Fryer Pecan Chicken Breast sliced
- 1/3 cup sweet potatoes 45g
- 1/3 cup diced apples 40g
- 2 Tbsp goat cheese 14g
- Honey Dijon Dressing recipe in notes – optional, or dressing of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Finely dice sweet potatoes into even sized cubes. (I used the smallest setting on my vegetable chopper for this).
- Cook sweet potatoes: Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste). Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place the potatoes in a single row and cook for 20 minutes, tossing half way through, or until crispy.
- Make dressing: Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the Honey Mustard dressing together in a bowl or jar (if using).
- To assemble each salad: Add the mixed greens to the bowl. Top with sliced (and warmed) pecan crusted chicken, sweet potatoes, diced apple and goat cheese. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle and toss with honey mustard dressing or your favorite dressing. Don’t forget to drizzle your Pecan Crusted Chicken with honey if you haven’t already!
Notes
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (112g)
1/4 cup dijon mustard (60g)
2 Tbsp honey (63g)
2 Tbsp olive oil (30g)
2 Tbsp lemon juice (30g)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (30g)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper Log Honey Mustard Dressing separately if using.
MFP entry: Skinny Honey Mustard Dressing
Nutrition
