We love this Autumn Chopped Salad. I haven’t made this enough, according to some family members. It’s the first chopped salad some of us have tried and we are smitten. That may sound a little over-the-top, but seriously, even the guys ask for it and eat so much! We only had one small serving left at supper last night.
Chopping up your ingredients for a salad really makes a huge difference to your taste buds because you get all the flavors together in just about every bite. Many have asked for a spoon instead of a fork to eat with. No, really.
There’s just something about the combination of chicken, pecans, Craisins, romaine lettuce, pears, feta cheese, and bacon that is just…right. This time I also added cucumber, which was a great idea. And you top it off with a combination of balsamic viniagrette and poppy seed dressings that just nails it! That dressing would be good on just about any green salad. Try it.
The chicken was not in the original recipe when Julie and I made this the first time at my house. We were just trying out some recipes for our former blog and thought this sounded like a good one. Since we were also needing something for supper, we decided to pick up a rotisserie chicken–do you just love these?– and added that in to the salad. If you are crunched for time, this is a great alternative, but you can always cook up some cut up chicken breast or grill it and add in to your chopped salad. There may be another meat choice, but I stick with the chicken.
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we have. And by the way, you can make this any time. Don’t wait until Fall. Just be sure you can get some ripe pears. And be sure to serve it with some homemade rolls.
Recipe source: Pinterest.
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Autumn Chopped Salad
Description
Fruit, nuts, bacon, veggies, chicken and a yummy dressing make this chopped salad a tasty dinner. Serve with homemade rolls. You’re welcome.
Ingredients
- 6–8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut up and cooked through (or grilled)
- 2 medium pears, chopped
- 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries (love me some Craisins!)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp and crumbled (we used pre-packaged real bacon pieces, because of time)
- 4–6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Instructions
Combine the lettuce, pears, cucumbers, cranberries, pecans, bacon, chicken and feta in a large bowl.
Mix the balsamic viniagrette and poppy seed dressings together and drizzle generously over the salad. Toss lightly to combine.
Serve with homemade rolls.