{"id":52060,"date":"2024-09-10T17:46:56","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T21:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondflourblog.com\/?p=52060"},"modified":"2024-09-26T18:15:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T22:15:44","slug":"harvest-chicken-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondflourblog.com\/harvest-chicken-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvest Chicken Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Fall Harvest Chicken Salad features all the best flavours of fall, topped with a delicious maple balsamic vinaigrette. An elegant, but simple salad, perfect for your holiday table !\t<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

This summer, we went on a big main dish salad recipe kick, and came up with some of the BEST salads we\u2019ve ever eaten.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d gone a bit wild at the The Olive Oil Dispensary<\/a>, and had a ton of fun coming up with all kinds of delicious salad recipes.<\/p>\n

... then I got caught up in a bunch of camping (Are you following our adventures over on 2 Nerds in a Truck<\/a>?), and got WAY behind.<\/p>\n

The leaves are turning now, though, so it seems like I should probably post my delicious fall harvest salad recipe. It\u2019s my favorite time of year, so I should at least mark the occasion, right?<\/p>\n

This recipe has everything I could want in a fall salad recipe - seasonal flavors from some of my favorite fall ingredients - roasted butternut squash, apples, figs, fresh sage ... it\u2019s a tasty AND colorful salad!<\/p><\/div>\n

All of those different flavors and textures are perfectly accented with my harvest salad dressing - a simple balsamic vinaigrette, dressed up with maple syrup.<\/p>\n

The best part?<\/p>\n

Not only is it a delicious meal any random day of the week, it is fancy enough that it would be a welcome addition to a Thanksgiving dinner spread!<\/p>\n

Beyond the colours, flavours, and textures, the salad is also naturally gluten free, paleo, and AIP compliant!<\/p>\n

It may just be the perfect salad.<\/p>\n

Anyway, enough chatter, let\u2019s get to the recipe!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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Ingredients<\/h2>\n

So, this recipe has a bit of a laundry list of ingredients going, but they\u2019re all pretty simple ingredients - many are pantry staples. You shouldn\u2019t have any problem finding what you need at any larger grocery store.\t\t<\/p>\n

Small Chicken Breasts<\/h4>\n

I use boneless, skinless chicken breast for this, and really haven\u2019t bothered to deviate from it - it just works well for us.<\/p>\n

That said, feel free to swap them out for boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, though, you may want to allot 2 thighs per serving.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Butternut Squash<\/h4>\n

Butternut Squash was always my go to for things like this, but we\u2019ve been on a delicata squash kick lately, so I think I\u2019ll use some next time I make this.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not a fan of roasted squash, you can use sweet potatoes and still have the same general theme going - you\u2019ll just want to shorten the first round of cooking time a bit, and keep an eye on them.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Fresh Greens<\/h4>\n

I leave this ingredient wide open, and will generally either go with what we have on hand, what looks freshest at the grocery store, or whatever fresh greens grab our attention at the farmers market.<\/p>\n

I like to have at least some baby spinach or raw kale (usually baby kale, but chopped kale works in general). I also like to have something dark red in there - Spring mix usually has some kind of red \/ purple greens in there.<\/p>\n

Also: shredded Brussels Sprouts work really well as part of the green on this recipe. Really, just go with what you like, and what\u2019s in season!<\/p>\n

Fresh Apples<\/h4>\n

I usually use honeycrisp apples when making this recipe - but switch to Mutsu when they\u2019re in season. Pink Lady or Granny Smith would also work.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Unsweetened Dried Cranberries<\/h4>\n

To keep this recipe AIP \/ Paleo, I had to go looking - and pay a premium for - Unsweetened Dried Cranberries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not on a super restrictive diet, feel free to use regular dried cranberries, which are sweetened.\t<\/p>\n

Maple Balsamic Vinegar<\/h4>\n

When I first designed this recipe, it was mostly as an excuse to try - and showcase - the bottle of Maple Balsamic Vinegar<\/a> I\u2019d purchased.<\/p>\n

I eventually ran out, and have been using a regular dark balsamic vinegar - still a fantastic recipe.<\/p>\n

So, don\u2019t feel like you need to run out to buy the maple dark balsamic vinegar if you don\u2019t already have it on hand!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Apple Cider Vinegar<\/h4>\n

You can use lemon juice or orange juice in place of the vinegar, if you prefer.<\/p>\n

Avocado Oil<\/h4>\n

You can use extra-virgin olive oil if you prefer. <\/p>\n

We actually usually use extra virgin olive oil for these kinds of things, but I\u2019d run out recently, and for some reason, it\u2019s been way more expensive than avocado oil for a while... so I\u2019ve been defaulting to avocado, waiting for it to go on sale.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"All\t<\/p>\n

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Everything Else<\/h4>\n

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:<\/p>\n

Maple Syrup
\nOlive Oil
\nCrimini Mushrooms
\nRed Onion
\nCelery
\nFresh Figs
\nFresh Garlic
\nDried Sage
\nGarlic Powder
\nOnion Powder
\nSea Salt<\/p><\/div>\n

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Optional Toppings<\/h4>\n

I designed this recipe to *covertly* fit my AIP \/ Paleo diet. \u201cCovert\u201d, as there\u2019s nothing weird in there, no real substitutions made, it\u2019s just a great salad for everyone.<\/p>\n

That said - if certain ingredients weren\u2019t off the table for me - there are all kinds of other things I\u2019d add to this. If you\u2019re not keeping paleo, here are some options to consider:<\/p>\n

Crispy Bacon: A bit of smoky bacon or crispy prosciutto would be lovely on this salad.<\/p>\n

Nuts and\/or Seeds: Toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds would add a fantastic crunch and flavour. Pomegranate seeds probably aren\u2019t actually off the table for Paleo, now that I think about it. Pomegranate arils would also add a nice pop of colour and flavour.<\/p>\n

Cheese: A bit of tangy feta cheese or creamy goat cheese crumbled on top would work really well with this salad.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/p>\n