Name: Apple Cider Chicken Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts (approx. 1 1/2 lbs); 1 bag (4 ounces) garden cress; 1 1/2 cups apple cider; 1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar); 2 Tbsp butter; 3 ounces shallots, coarsely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 2-3 Tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup walnut pieces; salt and pepper to taste

Jump to Recipe

This apple cider chicken is the perfect autumn salad for balancing out all those sweet pumpkin-flavored indulgences. It’s light, refreshing, eash-to-make, and has a great a autumn apple cider flavor with a bit of a sweet crunch from the crispy shallots. It has become one of our weekday favorites when we need a quick diner. I hope you enjoy this apple cider chicken autumn salad as we do!

I like to make this salad with cress since it’s a nutritional power house packed full of vitamins to help give me a healthy boost during a hectic time of year. Cress is a bit tangy and bitter, so the sweetness of the apple cider complements it quite well. If you can’t find cress at your local grocer, arugula is a good alternative.

Apple Cider Chicken Salad – Ingredients

This apple cider chicken salad with homemade dressing, crushed walnuts, and crisp cress lettuce is perfect for a healthy autumn inspired meal. Here’s a list of what you’ll need …

chicken breasts
garden cress
apple cider
honey
butter
shallots
garlic
olive oil
walnut pieces
salt and pepper

How To Make Cider Chicken

Start by making the crispy shallots and garlic for salad toppers. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the shallots and garlic cloves and cook on medium heat until brown and crispy, but not burnt.

While the garlic and shallots are frying, butterfly the chicken breasts so that you have four thin fillets. Or cut them into chicken strips. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each fillet. Set the chicken aside to get ready to cook in the same pan as the shallots.

Once the garlic and shallots are browned, pour them onto a plate layered with 2-3 paper towels to soak up the extra oil (similar to how you crisp bacon).

Add the chicken fillets to the same pan. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until browned. Turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side until brownd.

Add 1 cup of the apple cider to the pan with chicken and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, occasionally spooning the apple cider over the chicken breasts.

After the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and allow to rest on a cutting board. Next, work on making the warm apple cider dressing by adding an additional 1/2 cup of apple cider, 1 Tbsp of honey, and 2 Tbsp butter to the same pan and whisk until blended. Once butter as melted into the apple cider, turn off the heat.

Plate your salad by starting with the cress or lettuce, then topping with sliced chicken, crispy shallots and garlic, walnuts, and warm apple cider dressing.

This apple cider chicken recipe is enough to feed four, but if you’re making dinner for two, the left overs are delicious. Just hold off on the dressing for the left overs.

Apple Cider Chicken Salad

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts (approx. 1 1/2 lbs)
1 bag (4 ounces) garden cress
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar)
2 Tbsp butter
3 ounces shallots, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup walnut pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the shallots and garlic cloves and cook on medium heat until brown and crispy, but not burnt.
While the garlic and shallots are frying, butterfly the chicken breasts so that you have four thin fillets. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each fillet.
Once the garlic and shallots are browned, pour them onto a plate layered with 2-3 paper towels to soak up the extra oil (similar to how you crisp bacon).
Add the chicken fillets to the same pan. Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes until browned. Turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side until brownd.
Add 1 cup of the apple cider to the pan with chicken and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, occasionally spooning the apple cider over the chicken breasts.
After the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and allow to rest on a cutting board.
Then, add an additional 1/2 cup of apple cider, 1 Tbsp of honey, and 2 Tbsp butter to the same pan and whisk until blended. Once butter as melted into the apple cider, turn off the heat.
This recipe is enough to feed four, but if you're making dinner for two, the left overs are delicious. Just hold off on the dressing for the left overs.
Place one cup of cress onto each plate.
Slice the chicken breast and arrange on the cress. Sprinkle with crispy shallots and crushed walnuts. Spoon on the warm apple cider dressing from the pan. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 20g

Nutrition information provided is only an estimate.