When a little ole’ salad eats like a full blown, truly satisfying meal – you’ve got one of my favorite categories of food. This Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad has a lot going for it, it really does. A “Knife and Fork Salad” is a beautiful thing and the category is a broad one to be sure. This salad is just that – you’ll need real deal silverware to enjoy it fully. The hot and salty pecan crusted chicken, the creamy potatoes, and the sweet apples – it’s all delicious and the mix of hot and cold things + crispy creamy things is especially wonderful.
Why We Love This Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad with Apples
This salad is just so lovely to look at isn’t it? Not that this is really some super important reason to make something, but it doesn’t hurt things either. But appearances aside, this Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad is VERY delicious. It’s the wonderful balance of hot and cold + sweet and salty + crunchy and creamy that keeps this one firmly in my dinnertime rotation.
As a good Southern girl myself, I do really love a toasty pecan, as exemplified by this coffee cake, this honey mustard chicken, and this pie. I’ll take them any way you want to give them to me. But they are at the greatest (okay, aruguably) when mixed with some seasoned breadcrumbs and showered over some simple chicken breasts. I like to coat my chicken breasts with sour cream or mayo first – because the pecans aren’t going to just magically stick themselves. That not only gives flavor and moisture to the (dry! kinda boring!) chicken breast, but it also acts as that anchor which the pecan mixture really does need here.
Which, dear reader, brings me to my final reason for loving this salad so very much. It is a truly great way to level up an ordinary boneless, skinless chicken breast (I’m a dark meat gal usually), into something that can rival other more flavorful cuts of the bird.
It’s true, no bones about it.
Tips and Tricks for Great Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast
For starters, I recommend chopping and prepping all of your ingredients first. This will make all of the actual cooking absolutely fly by – it’s true. Secondly, while you by no means have to do this, I do recommend halving your sweet little baby potatoes and drizzling over some of your vinaigrette while they’re nice and hot. They will drink that stuff up in the most delicious way.
As is the case with just about any salad, taking care to season it just after you’ve assembled it (before serving) really helps bring out the flavors. I’m just talking about salt and pepper here, mostly. You would never want to season your lettuces and veggies in advance at all, as that salt will react with them, and draw out their water/moisture. We definitely do not want that.
Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad FAQ’s
Can you substitute other nuts for pecans when crusting a chicken breast?
Yes, you can substitute other nuts for pecans when crusting a chicken breast. Absolutely. Though it would totally change the name of the dish, but what’s in a name really? I have it on good authority that this recipe works just as well with walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, and pistachios. That said, some of those are pricier than others, so pay heed.
How long does a cooked pecan crusted chicken breast last?
3-4 days.
What are the most common greens used in Southern salads?
Iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, and spinach are very commonly used greens in many Southern salads. You may or may not already know my love for Iceberg (the crunch! The cold!), bit a mix of several types of crunchy greens is always my personal favorite move when crafting an excellent salad.
How do you reheat a cooked pecan crusted chicken breast?
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the cooked pecan crusted chicken breast on a baking sheet and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Warm for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Enjoy!
What you’ll need to make this Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
You can, of course, make this as big and bold as you like. Add cheese! Blue cheese is absolutely insane with this, seeing as how it goes perfectly and classically with both apples and pecans. But goat cheese is killer as well. Also, you can add whatever veggies sounds good to you.
Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad INGREDIENTS
The pecans! Because otherwise w’d just have a chicken salad, and it wouldn’t be nearly as fun, right? You’ll want to grab some pecan halves, or even just pecan pieces are great. Don’t worry too much about that. We’re chopping them up until their previous shape becomes totally unrecognizable, so it just does not matter which kind you buy. Just get some inexpensive ones.
Greens: You can really let your creativity flag fly when it comes to the greens you select for your salads. If you wanted to go full iceberg, I mean, go for it. You’ll find no judgement from me, seeing as how I’m a huge fan of a cold and crunchy iceberg salad. But as I sort of alluded to earlier, you can really boost the color of this salad in a hurry if you reach for say, some peppery/bitter radicchio. I LOVE radicchio, as exemplified by this all-time great squash and radicchio salad (this one’s even in my second cookbook, Southern Lights).
Potatoes: I love adding those teeny tiny baby potatoes to salads of all makes and models. They really add heft to things and keep you fuller longer. So, let’s just say potatoes aren’t just for salade nicoise all the time, okay? For this particular application, I just cut them in half and then boil the little spuds in very salty water until they’re fork tender. Then I douse them in the dressing so they really soak up that gorgeous flavor.
The Chicken: For this pecan crusted chicken salad we’re going to use boneless skinless breasts. Reason being, they’re big and come with a nice smooth surface area for coating with all of that tasty pecan crunch. The way we’re going to wield them, though, really helps to make up for some of what they lack. Namely, flavor and moisture. By shellacking them with ample seasoning and sour cream before even adding the tasty pecan crunch, we’re ensuring that these little chicken parts will be as tasty as they can be. The only thing that could level them up even further, might be to marinate them beforehand. That would be a clutch move for sure.
How we build this beautiful Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
I start this Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad by getting the halved potatoes boiling away in very salty water. It takes about 12 to 15 minutes, so I do the rest during that time.
Next, I lay out the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and season them with salt and pepper. They get a thick coating of sour cream, which acts as the anchor to the pecan crunch. The pecans and panko breadcrumbs are combined in a bowl, and seasoned with some salt and pepper (or, Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning for extra herbaceous-ness). A drizzle of olive oil will help coat the nuts and panko, keeping them safer from scorching in the oven, and helping us to build a really nice golden brown color.
These go in a 400-degree oven for about 22 to 25 minutes – depending on the thickness of your chicken. Once they’re out of the oven, I like to slice them into strips, but that’s up to you. You can leave them big and whole, as pictured, also.
Next, I like to slice the apples and onions (or scallions) and get my greens all ready to go on either individual plates or a big platter (depending on how you care to serve it).
Then, I whip up the dressing. For this one, I typically do it right in a liquid measuring cup. I’m am an eye-baller, and usually just wing it when it comes to dressing amounts. But worry not – I’ve got proper amounts listed here for you.
Pull it all together by building your salad, greens first, in individual plates/bowls or on one big family style platter.
Variations to this Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad you might just love
Mmmmk. This Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad is really nice just as it is. You needn’t faff about with it if you don’t want to, but it’s cool if you do. In fact, I’ve got some suggestions for you in case you need a little inspiration.
- You could swap in fresh pears for the apples
- If it’s Fall, maybe nix the potatoes in favor of some roasted butternut or kabocha squash.
- Speaking of fall – lean into your greens/lettuces a bit more. This is the time of year when bitter chicories and gorgeous red leaf lettuces can make a salad practically scream, “Hey! It’s sweater weather, y’all!”
- Just use a bottled honey mustard and have yourself a very nice day.
- Use peanuts instead! That would be tres’ Southern of you, friend.
Southern Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad (with apples and potatoes)
Warm pecan crusted chicken and salty, creamy baby potatoes give a lot of heft to this lovely, simple salad. Sweet crunchy apples and punchy onion are the perfect complements here. We suggest adding some crumbled goat or blue cheese to the mix, and some sliced cucumbers or cherry tomatoes are also great.Â
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 24 ounces baby waxy potatoes (gold or red)
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- Garlic and Herb Seasoning, to taste (I use a couple of teaspoons of McCormick brand’s)
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil, as needed
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lightly pounded to flatten (see note)
- 1/4 cup sour cream or mayonnaise
- 8 to 10 cups mixed salad greens
- 1/4 small red onion, sliced OR 4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
- 1 red apple, sliced
For the Tangy Honey Mustard Dressing:Â cup neutral flavored oil such as canola or vegetable
- 2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or to taste
- 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
- 3 teaspoons honey, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Additional Serving Suggestions: Crumbled goat cheese or crumble blue cheese, sliced cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Put the potatoes in a pot of water to cover. Bring to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook until fork tender and drain. Toss the potatoes with olive oil to coat, and season them well with salt, pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the pecans and panko. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten this mixture with enough olive oil to light coat. Toss to mix well.
- Put the chicken breasts on a large sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Liberally coat each chicken breast with sour cream. Pile some of the pecan mixture onto each piece of chicken, getting them as fully and evenly coated (on just one side) as you can, pressing the topping gently to help it adhere.
- Bake the chicken until golden brown and cooked through; about 18 minutes if they’re pounded thinner, 22 to 26 minutes if not.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, sour cream or mayo, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any of these ingredients to suit your preferences – this is just a jumping off point/blueprint. You should customize the flavor and creaminess it to your liking.
- To build your salad(s): Toss the greens with some of the dressing to moisten and then pile them onto a big platter or onto individual plates. Top with apple slices, some of the warm seasoned potatoes, and the sliced red or green onions. Add the warm crunchy chicken, which you can leave whole or you can cut them into slices. Serve with extra dressing on the side.
Notes
NOTE: You don’t have to pound your chicken if you don’t want to mess with it. But doing so reduces the bake time a bit and also allows for a more level/even surface upon which to add your pecan topping. To do this, I literally just use my fists because I’m lazy and ridiculous, but it’s the easiest and fastest way. A more civilized approach might be to lay a piece of cling wrap over the chicken breasts and pound them gently with a rolling pin or heavy bottomed object such as a pint glass or heavy pan.
