Harvest Salad with Chicken (Paleo, Whole30)

whole30 harvest salad in a big white bowl

5 from 3 votes

Harvest Salad with Chicken (Paleo, Whole30)

This hearty Harvest Salad with Chicken is a colorful and filling dinner salad! Chicken, sweet potatoes, apples and more are full of textures and flavors. It's especially good with my Tahini Date Dressing (linked below the recipe). Plus it's gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo and Whole30 friendly!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

resting time15

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 532kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
5 oz. leafy greens, such as spinach, chard, arugula, kale or a mix
1½ pounds cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 large apple, such as Fuji or Granny Smith
½ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
6 green onions (scallions), trimmed and thinly sliced
Tahini Date Dressing (or your favorite dressing)

Instructions

First, roast the sweet potatoes: heat the oven to 425°.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Trim off the dried ends of the sweet potatoes, then cut them into roughly 1/2" pieces. Add them to the baking sheet and toss with the oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, cumin and paprika until evenly coated.
Roast until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
Core and chop the apple into 1/2" pieces. (You don't want to do this too far in advance or the apple will brown.)
Add the greens, chicken, apple, pecans and scallions and cooled sweet potatoes to a large bowl.
Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients and give everything a good toss. You'll need about 1/2 cup of dressing to start with.
Taste and add more salt or dressing, if necessary.

Notes

Find my Tahini Date Dressing here.

Nutrition note: Nutrition info does not include dressing.

Substitutions and variations

sweet potatoes: you could use winter squash instead, such as butternut, delicata, kabocha, acorn, etc.
spices: you can omit both the cumin and paprika if you like, or use other spices instead of or in addition to them, such as coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, etc.
chicken: you can use leftover chicken (grilled, baked, etc.) or rotisserie chicken; you could use turkey, pork, salmon or steak instead as well
apple: you can use whatever you like. Pears would also work well here. Just make sure they're not too ripe - you don't want a soft, mushy pear in your salad.
pecans: use whatever nuts or seeds you like (if using seeds like pumpkin or sunflower, you'll only need 1/3 cup; using seeds would also make this salad nut-free)
green onions: you could also use diced red onion or pickled red onion, or omit the onions entirely
dressing: you could also use balsamic, honey mustard or other favorite vinaigrettes
If dairy is in your life, this salad would be great with goat cheese, feta or blue cheese.

Make ahead

Cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before adding to the salad.

The roasted sweet potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The toasted, chopped pecans can be kept in an airtight container either in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a month.

The salad is best eaten immediately.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. The sweet potatoes will soften but everything else should maintain its texture.

Nutrition