Harvest Salad with Grilled Chicken and Candied Pecans

If you are like me, you've seen or had this salad many times for lunch at your favorite casual dining spot.  I decided to try my hand at making this sweet and savory salad at home this past Saturday.  It was quite the success.  Here's what I did and what you will need to do to enjoy this delicious salad :):

{In a 350 degree pre-heated oven, quickly toast some pecan halves in a skillet for about 5-8 minutes, or until you can smell toasty nuts, being careful not to burn them.}

{Begin to make your candy-glaze.  For every 2 cups of nuts, add to a bowl: 4-5 tablespoons of light corn syrup.}

{Next, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt.}

{Whisk until combined.}

{Dump in your toasted pecans and mix to evenly coat them with the glaze.}

{Pour the glazed nuts onto a greased, oven safe dish and bake in an even layer at 350 for 10 minutes.}

{Season a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the grill.  Any spices would do for this - I used paprika, seasoned salt, chili powder, garlic and onion.}

{Heat the grill pan and get it HOT.  Sound familiar? :)}

   

{Thinly slice half of a red onion and a Granny Smith apple.  You want reeealllly thin slices.}

{Begin to grill your chicken.}

{After 10 minutes, remove your pecans from the oven.  Immediately separate with a fork and allow them to cool.}

At this point, I decided to slice and toast a French baguette to have with the salads.  With butter, of course.}

{When your chicken is perfectly cooked, remove from the grill, thinly slice and set aside.}

{The buttery and toasty bread. YUM!}

{I decided to mix blue cheese and Italian dressing for a thin-but-creamy blend.  I would have loved to add blue cheese crumbles to this too, but didn't have any on hand.  Maybe next time. :)}

{To the bottom of a large mixing bowl, add your dressing.}

{Whip / blend until combined.}

{I used a spring mix for the greens.  Spinach would be great, too!}

{Add your greens to the bowl with the dressing.}

{Add your apple slices and red onion.}

{Mix with tongs to evenly coat the greens with dressing.}

{Add a pile of greens/onions/apples to a large plate.  Top with the cooled and candied pecans.}

{Top with your sliced chicken breast, a sprinkle of dried cranberries and ENJOY}

xoxo, thanks for reading!