Copycat Apple Chicken Salad
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The following recipe and photography were provided by our partner, Kayla Breeden Falconer of Kayla’s Kitch and Fix.
If you’ve ever had the Apple Fuji Salad from Panera Bread and loved it, you have to try this homemade Apple Salad. It’s made using simple, real food ingredients that will fuel your day and have you feeling great.
What’s better is that it features less sugar, fits seamlessly into a gluten free diet and can be adjusted to meet paleo and vegetarian preferences as well.
If you’re in a pinch, you can simply forgo making your own apple chips, vinaigrette and toasted nuts and buy the premade options available at your local Heinen’s.
Copycat Apple Chicken Salad
Cook time: 60min Prep time: 13min Total time: 73min
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the Apple Chips
- 2 Pink Lady apples, sliced thin
For the Apple Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup 100% apple juice
- 1/4 cup Heinen’s extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. Heinen’s garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Heinen’s onion powder
- 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. Heinen’s raw honey
- A squeeze of fresh lemon
- A pinch salt
For the Toasted Nuts
- 2 cups nuts of choice such as 1 cup pecans + 1 cup walnuts
- 2 Tbsp. apple vinaigrette (recipe above)
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ - 2 lbs. Gerber’s CARE Certified chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. Heinen’s dried basil
- 1 tsp. Heinen’s onion powder
- 1 tsp. Heinen’s garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Heinen’s paprika
- 1 tsp. salt
For the Salad
- Heinen’s spring mix
- Red onion, sliced thin
- Vine tomatoes, halved
- Grilled chicken (optional, leave out if vegetarian)
- Apple chips
- Toasted nuts
- Gorgonzola cheese or goat cheese (leave out if paleo/dairy free)
- Apple vinaigrette
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225°F.
- Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar. Cover with a lid and shake vigorously to combine. If at any point the ingredients separate, simply re-shake the jar.
- Slice the apples using a mandolin and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the apples for one hour on each side, 2 hours total.
- Mix together the nuts and 2 Tbsp. of the apple vinaigrette.
- Space out the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and add to the oven with the apples for 15-20 minutes, checking often to ensure they don’t burn.
- Combine the chicken ingredients in a shallow bowl, then coat each chicken breast until covered evenly.
- Cook the chicken using your preferred method and slice thin once cooked through.
- When the nuts, apple chips and chicken are all cooked, assemble the salad using all of the prepared ingredients and preferred toppings.
