Pecan Grilled Chicken Salad

Try this fruity Grilled Chicken Pecan Salad for a fresh, fast, and delicious meal any time of day! It’s a healthier version of my favorite O’Charley’s Pecan Chicken Tender Salad — Fresh greens topped with juicy mandarin oranges, ripe strawberries, dried cranberries, candied pecans, grilled chicken and bleu cheese, topped with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

If you’re looking for easy and delicious chicken salad recipes you should also try BBQ Chicken Salad a Panera Copycat Recipe, Southwest Chicken Quesadilla Salad, and Pineapple Chicken Salad Pie.

Chicken Pecan Salad

Oh, sweet summertime. I’ve been anxiously awaiting it. I love the longer days and warm nights.  Now if Mother Nature could just turn off the waterworks we’d be set!  So far we are half way thru June, and St. Louis has already seen 6 inches of rain, with another 5-7″ expected by the end of this week setting the stage for the wettest June in the recorded history of the St. Louis area.

We have managed to sneak in a few nice days, or hours here and there and I was craving a big delicious salad for dinner a few weeks ago.

If you know me, one of my favorite salads is from O’Charley’s.  It’s filled with a lot of good stuff, like candied pecans and pecan crusted breaded chicken tenders……which makes it heavy on the calories too.  

It occurred to me that this tasty favorite could still knock your sock off if I made it at home with grilled chicken to make it a little lighter on the calories.  This grilled chicken pecans salad is still full of so much flavor and texture….like a summertime party in your mouth!

Copycat O’Charley’s Pecan Grilled Chicken Tender Salad

This “recipe” couldn’t be any easier, making it great for any time!  I use rotisserie chicken or Tyson cooked grilled chicken strips.  I don’t even heat the chicken, but you could if you’d like your chicken warm.

 I also grab up a bag of glazed pecans from the salad topping section at the grocery store.  But if you’d like to make your own, drizzle pecans with a little honey and salt, place them on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes on 350° (stirring half way thru).  Cool on waxed paper before using in salad.

I also usually use a store-bought bottle of balsamic vinaigrette, but again, if you’d like to make your own, my friend Shaina has the perfect balsamic vinaigrette recipe you could use.

Sometimes we make a big batch and keep in the fridge to eat for lunches during the week.  Just add the chicken and dressing when ready to eat.

Since we don’t have an O’Charley’s too close to us, this works out perfectly 😉

Promise me you’ll try this awesome Pecan Chicken Salad this summer!

More Summer Salad Recipes you might enjoy

Feta, Peach & Prosciutto Salad at TidyMom

Copycat Houlihan’s Asian Chop Chop Chicken Salad Recipe at Dine and Dish

Antipasti Chopped Salad recipe from Reluctant Entertainer

Steak Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches and Red Onion recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

Black Bean Mexican Salad recipe from She Wears Many Hats

Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad recipe from Recipe Girl

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