This Chicken, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pancetta is crisp and refreshing with a delicious medley of fall inspired flavors. It's made on a bed of lettuce greens with rotisserie chicken, Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, red onion, pecans, creamy blue cheese, and a Dijon mustard dressing.
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I can't get enough of fall salads right now! Especially when made with comforting, autumnal ingredients like crispy apples, tender chicken, tart dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and a salty element like pancetta. Toss in some cheese, whip up a simple dressing, and you've got yourself a winning main dish that's loaded with flavor and texture!
I was actually reminded of this salad while scrolling through my Instagram memories. It was one of those dishes that I made on a whim, so I really didn't think to jot any ingredients or measurements down. But remembering how delicious it was made me want to make it again. ASAP! So I grabbed the ingredients and added pancetta to the salad this time around.
As usual, I made things easy and used rotisserie chicken as my main protein. I also went with a Granny Smith apple for its tangy flavor. I added to the tartness with some dried cranberries (another staple this time of year). Pecans and sliced onion add extra crunch while crumbled blue cheese adds sharp creaminess. Crispy pancetta adds a nice savory flavor. And a simple Dijon mustard dressing pulls the whole salad together.
Chicken, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pancetta
This salad really does have everything and it's so good as a light lunch! It would even make a great fall dinner - especially if summer warmth is hanging on despite the season changing. It's a delicious way to use up leftover chicken and you can easily mix and match and play around with flavors.
The first thing we need to do is crisp up our pancetta. So we're going to place it in a skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta until it's nice and crispy, about 7-10 minutes.
Once it's cooked, remove it from the skillet and set it aside on a paper towel to drain.
Now, add the lettuce to a large salad bowl. Add the rotisserie chicken, apples, cranberries, onion, pecans, and blue cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and salt and pepper together.
Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss to coat and combine and serve. I added a little extra crumbled blue cheese on top before serving because there's no such thing as too much cheese!
Chicken, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pancetta
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup diced pancetta
- 4 cups lettuce like green leaf or Romaine
- 1 cup rotisserie chicken shredded or chopped
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple cored and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbsps. chopped pecans
- 2 tbsps. crumbled blue cheese
For the dressing:
- 2 tbsps. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place pancetta in a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from skillet and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
- Add lettuce to a large salad bowl along with chicken, apples, cranberries, onion, pecans, and blue cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss to combine and serve.
All of these flavors work so well together to create a delicious, fall-inspired salad. If you're not a fan of blue cheese, you can easily swap in goat cheese or even a white cheddar. And if you're going apple picking, you can play around with apple varieties to add to this salad as well.
Did you make this Chicken, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pancetta recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
