This fall salad has all of your favorite fall toppings like apples, butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and more. It's easy to toss together and it's the perfect dinner or lunch because it's made with chicken. You'll love the easy homemade apple cider vinaigrette too!
It's September 1, which means we're going to be talking all things fall! For us food bloggers, fall is the best time of the year. Well, at least for this food blogger.
It means I get to make all the fall things like paleo pumpkin bars, apple cinnamon breakfast cookies and fall salad recipes.
I'm a lover of salads filled with all the yummy extras. The more toppings on my salad the better. This fall salad recipe will not disappoint in the toppings department.
What's in a good fall salad recipe?
A good fall salad recipe is made with a lot of yummy toppings that are popular during the fall. Here's all of the toppings to make this extra delicious fall harvest salad:
- Roasted butternut squash
- Fresh apples
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- dried cranberries
The best apples to use for this fall salad:
You really can't go wrong with any apple. I like to stick to an apple on the sweeter side, though. In this recipe I would use a Gala apple or a Honeycrisp apple.
How to cut butternut squash:
Butternut squash is a little tricky to cut and peel. For this salad I honestly prefer to buy the pre peeled and chopped butternut squash you can get in the grocery section, but if you want to peel and cut it yourself here's how:
- Poke holes in the squash with a fork and cut off both ends.
- Place the entire squash in the microwave and heat on high for 3-4 minutes.
- Allow to cool then use a potato peeler to to peel off the skin.
- Cut in half then scoop out the center.
- Dice into small pieces
Once you've roasted the butternut squash, dice your apples and you're ready to assemble your salad!
Fill your bowl with lots of chopped kale then add your cranberries, butternut squash, apples, green onion, walnuts and dried cranberries then top with your grilled or baked chicken breast.
Note: if you don't want to add chicken to this recipe you can omit it and use this as a side salad. It's a perfect salad for Thanksgiving!
If you make this recipe don't forget to share it on Instagram and tag me with #WhatMollyMade or @what_mollymade so I can see it and feature you!
Happy fall ya'll!?
Fall salad with chicken, apples and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash cubed
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 apple diced (I used Honeycrisp)
- 2 green onion thinly sliced
- 4 cups kale or spinach chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ to asted chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons pepitas/pumpkin seeds raw or roasted and salted
- 6-7 ounces about 1 breast baked or grilled chicken breast (could also use pre-made rotisserie chicken)
Apple cider vinegar:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.
- 1 clove minced garlic.
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread diced butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and top with salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss to coat the butternut squash. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the apple cider vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jar and stir or shake well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve the salad.
- When the squash is done roasting, assemble the salad. Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and top with roasted butternut squash, diced apple, green onion, dried cranberries, pepitas and chopped chicken. Mix with reserved apple cider vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Kimmy Ripley says
All of these ingredients combined sound like an incredible dish for the upcoming fall season. I am definitely going to make a dish like this. Last year I discovered that I love butternut squash. It will be squash galore over here soon!
Molly Leonard says
Thanks Kimmy! Can't wait for you to try it!