This harvest salad has a perfect blend of flavors that brings fall into your home. It’s a play on a traditional cobb salad with delicious, caramelized roasted butternut squash being the star of the dish. I decided to make a vinaigrette with maple syrup and apple cider vinegar to further embrace those fall flavors.
I love chicken grilled chicken in salads. And I am not talking about some boring, under seasoned, bland chicken. I am talking about perfectly seasoned, a little spicy and grilled to perfection chicken that just brings your salad to life. Salads for me must have all the components that makes a perfect dish. Something sweet, something salty, something meaty, something creamy, and something crunchy. This salad in my opinion is the perfect blend of all those textures and flavors. Full of sweet seasonal apples, pears and roasted caramelized butternut squash, creamy avocados loaded with healthy fats, sprinkle of crunchy pecans and roasted pumpkin seeds, topped with perfectly grilled, juicy, chicken breast and boiled eggs, and dressed with a tangy and sweet maple and apple cider dressing. This salad is a perfect meal on its own. Oh, and I forgot to mention the sweet and tart dried cranberries that just brings all those fall flavors together in this salad. Who said salads are boring?
Serves: 4 as a side
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
1 small Butternut squash about 1 1/2 cups, diced in 1 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 (8 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast
6-8 oz. spring mix (radicchio, lettuce, arugula and baby spinach)
1 small apple, thinly sliced
1 small pear, thinly sliced
1 small avocado, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven at 425 F.
On a sheet pan lined with foil, toss the butternut squash cubed with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Bake at 425 F for 35-40 min until cooked through and fork tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile in a deep nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoon olive oil.
In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes and paprika.
Season the chicken breast generously with the spice mix on both sides and cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through and no longer pink.
Set aside to cool slightly before you cut it into strips.
Now in a deep salad bowl, lay the green spring mix. Top with sliced apple, pear, avocado, chicken and roasted butternut squash. Top with boiled egg, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and pecans.
In a small bowl whish together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad right before serving.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!!
For Recipe : Click Here
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