Harvest Salad Recipe

This harvest salad recipe has flavorful chicken breast tossed in a bed of hearty kale, creamy pumpkin, and honey crisp apples with a nut-and-cheese topping, perfect on a breezy autumn day.

Is Harvest Salad Healthy?

Yes, loaded with nutrients, this harvest salad is a healthy choice. Here are a few reasons why:

First, we have amazingly healthy kale and pumpkin for a boost of vitamins. These two superfoods are known to be excellent sources of vitamin A and vitamin C.

Save

Did you know that a single cup of kale contains more than 100% of your daily recommended value for vitamin C? Moreover, a cup of cooked pumpkin provides more than 200% of your recommended daily vitamin A intake.

Not just vegetables, we also add skinless boneless chicken breast to add a lean source of protein and to make you feel more satiated. 

Ingredients You Will Need

1. For the Salad

• Kale: We use fresh raw kale for the leafy greens in our salad, giving it a nice earthy hint. If you prefer your kale to be softer and less bitter, you can give it a gentle massage with lemon juice or olive oil.
• Pumpkin: This well-loved autumn ingredient is perfect for our harvest salad. Soft, bright chunks of cooked pumpkin add extra sweetness and creaminess to the dish.
• Apple: Red apples are sweet, juicy, and crispy. A few slices simply brighten everything up. Remember to cut them right before serving so that the color won’t darken due to oxidation.

2. For the Chicken

• Chicken breast: Moist and savory chicken breast makes our salad even more palatable and fulfilling.
• Seasoning: We use a mixture of olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to marinate the chicken and give it more flavor.

Save

3. For the Dressing

• Olive oil: We use cold-pressed, Extra Virgin olive oil.
• Balsamic: Balsamic vinegar has a mildly sweet and tart taste, perfect for making salad dressing.
• Mustard: The pungent, slightly spicy taste of mustard gives a kick to the overall flavor.
• Pepper: A dash of pepper adds extra flavor.
• Honey: The natural sweetness of honey helps balance out the stronger ingredients in our dressing.

4. For the Topping

• Pecans: The nutty and buttery taste of pecans and their crunchy texture make a great addition to our salad.
• Dried cranberries: Sweet-tart and chewy, dried cranberries are fun to have in a salad mix.
• Feta cheese: Feta cheese has a nice briny taste with a lemony aftertaste, making it an all-time favorite salad topping.
• Parsley: The bright aroma of parsley nicely complements our salad.

How to Serve

This warm and sweet harvest salad is perfect for autumn but can be served all year-round as a side dish, a healthy snack, or a light lunch.

We recommend a hot bowl of soup or a delicious plate of pasta as an awesome choice of accompaniment for this dish.

And if Thanksgiving is around the corner, this joyful harvest salad will be a perfect fit for your menu.

Save

How to Store the Leftovers

A bowl of salad is at its best when served fresh and eaten right away because the greens can only stay good for so long.

That’s why we would recommend making just enough portions of your salad as needed and finishing it as soon as possible.

Still, if you have some leftovers, you can put them in an air-tight container and keep them in a fridge for up to a day if already dressed.

If not dressed, then you can keep both the salad and the dressing separately in the fridge, where they should stay fresh for up to 2 days.

How to Make Harvest Salad

5 from 1 vote

No need for heavy meals or sugary sweets, with this delicious savory salad, you'll have a light meal or healthy snack ready for an energy boost at any time.

Pin Print

• cook TIME 23 mins
• prep TIME 12 mins
• total TIME 35 mins

• COURSE Side Dish
• CUISINE American
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 256 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 8 oz skinless boneless chicken breast
• 3 oz red apples (sliced)
• 6 oz pumpkin (cubed)
• 4 oz kale (roughly chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (divided to 1/2 tbsp, 1/2 tbsp and 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp balsamic
• 1 tsp traditional Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper (divided)
• 2 tbsp parsley (chopped, divided)
• 1 oz pecan
• 0.5 oz dried cranberries
• 0.5 oz feta cheese (crumbled)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Add 6 oz pumpkin to a bowl along with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp parsley, then gently stir.

2

Season 8 oz chicken breast with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

3

Place the chicken and the pumpkin in the oven. Bake at 450°F for 17 minutes.

4

Make the dressing while waiting. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp balsamic, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp garlic and 1/4 tsp pepper to a bowl. Stir to combine.

5

Take out the chicken and cut into small pieces.

6

Arrange 4 oz kale, pumpkin, 3 oz apple, and chicken on the serving plate, then garnish with 1 oz pecan, 0.5 oz feta cheese, remaining 1 tbsp parsley, and 0.5 oz dried cranberries on top.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

How to Make Harvest Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 256Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g

23%

Saturated Fat 2g

13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 8g

Cholesterol 42mg

14%

Sodium 263mg

11%

Potassium 519mg

15%

Carbohydrate 18g

6%

Fiber 3g

13%

Sugar 10g

11%

Protein 15g

30%

Vitamin A 6828IU

137%

Vitamin C 34mg

41%

Calcium 114mg

11%

Iron 2mg

11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: harvest salad, harvest salad recipe, how to make harvest salad