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This simple chicken pear salad features fresh arugula, toasted walnuts, and a quick homemade lemon vinaigrette. Easy to throw together as a side salad or main dish on busy weeknights, but elegant enough for entertaining!
this recipe
I'm a sucker for salads with fresh fruit (Exhibit A: This easy strawberry spinach salad), and this recipe is always the first thing I reach for when pears are in season.
Peppery arugula and a bright lemon dressing help balance the sweetness of the pears, which helps this simple salad feel surprisingly complex. It's bright, colorful, and hearty enough to be a full meal on its own, but it also makes a great side salad for holidays (I often serve it without the chicken at Thanksgiving!)
The most time consuming step here is cooking the chicken. I like to grill a few chicken breasts earlier in the week (hooray for meal prep!) and keep them in the fridge so this salad comes together quickly. If you don't have time to grill some chicken just for this recipe, a batch of slow cooker shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the store work just as well.
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- Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- Step by Step Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Easy Salad Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
This salad is ultra-simple, but we want to highlight a few things before you jump in:
- Fresh pearsare the star of the show! For maximum flavor, use ripe pears at the height of their season. We like the look of thin, long pear slices here, but you can dice them if you'd like more of a chopped salad vibe.
- Baby arugulais our go-to for this recipe (we love the crisp, peppery bite!) but you can use fresh kale, spinach, or a mix of your favorite greens.
- Our quick lemon vinaigrette dressing just needsolive oil,lemon juice,dijon mustard, and a pinch ofsalt and black pepper.
- Grilled chicken. Grill some chicken thighs or chicken breasts specifically for this recipe, use leftover grilled chicken from earlier in the week, or sub a rotisserie chicken to keep things easy. Need a recipe? Try this Grilled Lemon Chicken.
- Toasted walnuts add texture and a bit of depth to this salad.
Toast the Walnuts for Best Results
To toast walnuts,place the nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook them for just a minute or two, stirring constantly, until they're fragrant and have barely darkened in color.
If you're short on time, you can skip this step. But if you have a minute to spare, toasting your chopped walnuts will bring out a TON of extra flavor!
Variations and Substitutions
This chicken pear salad recipe is fairly forgiving and easy to customize! Some of our favorite riffs:
- Swap the chicken for salmon, steak, bacon, or crispy tofu. This salad is also good with cooked grains (quinoa, farro, barley, brown rice).
- Mix up the fruit.Use apples (à la ourspinach apple salad!), peaches, or fresh berries instead of pears.
- Add cheese! We lovecrumbled blue cheese, feta, goat cheese,fresh mozzarella pearls, orgorgonzola here.
- Swap the walnuts for almonds,candied pecans, or pumpkin seeds/pepitas.
- For extra texture, add toasted panko breadcrumbs to this salad: Toast the bread crumbs in a small pan with a pat of butter and a pinch of salt until they're golden brown, similar to how you'd toast the walnuts.
- Adjust the dressing!Use balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice. Swap the olive oil for avocado oil if you like. For a sweeter dressing, add a splash of honey or maple syrup. For a more tart dressing, add extra lemon juice. You can also add a grated garlic clove or some parmesan cheese for bolder flavors in this dressing.
Step by Step Instructions
Make the Dressing
Addolive oil,lemon juice,dijon mustard, a pinch of koshersalt, and a few turns of cracked black pepperto a small mason jar with a tight-fitting lid(Image 1, above). Screw the lid on(Image 2), then shake the jar well(3)to bring the dressing together(4). Set aside while you prep the rest of the salad ingredients.
If you don't have a mason jar, whisk the dressing together in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Make Ahead Tip:This lemon vinaigrette keeps well in the fridge! Make it in advance for easy salad assembly, or whip up a double or triple batch to use all week long.
Assemble the Salad
Addarugula, grilled chicken, sliced pears, and toastedwalnutsto a large mixing bowl(Image 5, above). Pour the lemon dressing over top(6), then use two large forks or a pair of tongs to toss everything together until the salad is evenly coated in the dressing(Image 7, below). Serve immediately!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the dressing ahead of time?
Yes! Mix the lemon vinaigrette and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also double or triple this dressing recipe and keep it on hand for quick chicken salad recipes all week long. If you're making an extra big batch of salad dressing, use a larger mason jar or zip it together in a blender to help it blend and emulsify smoothly!
Can I save leftover salad?
We recommend eating this salad as soon as it's ready! If it sits too long, the pears and arugula will get soggy, so eating it fresh is best.
How many servings does this make?
As written, this recipe makes 2 large servings (perfect for a main course!) or 4 side salad servings. It's a very forgiving recipe: Feel free to eyeball the exact ingredient amounts or add extras of anything to help stretch this recipe a bit further!
What should I serve with arugula salad?
Wondering what to eat with arugula salad? We love pairing this chicken salad with some lemon parmesan roasted broccoli or a heartier fall starch, like mac and cheese (we love our butternut squash mac and cheese or mushroom mac and cheese with this salad!), a butternut squash risotto, or a cozy soup (our butternut squash and pear soup or butternut squash soup with goat cheese would be PERFECT with this chicken and arugula salad!)
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Spinach Prosciutto Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing
- Cilantro Chicken Chopped Salad
- Easy Spinach Apple Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing
Did you make this grilled chicken salad? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Grilled Chicken Arugula Salad with Pears and Walnuts
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
- Author: Jessie
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy arugula chicken salad features grilled chicken, fresh pear slices, and toasted walnuts. Easy to customize!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Lemon Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- 2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced (see recipe notes)
- ¼ cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1 pear, sliced
- 4 heaping cups fresh arugula
Instructions
Make the Dressing:
- Add dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Attach the lid and shake the jar vigorously for at least 30 seconds, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Note: If you don't have a jar, whisk the dressing together in a small bowl or mix it in a small blender.
Assemble the Salad:
- Addsliced grilled chicken, toastedwalnuts,pear slices, andarugula to a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle your desired amount of lemon dressing over the salad; toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
What kind of chicken to use. We typically grill several chicken breasts or thighs for meal prep at the start of the week, and keep it in the fridge to make assembling this salad quick and easy. We are also often able to find ready-to-go grilled chicken at our grocery store. You can grill your own chicken here, or grab a rotisserie chicken at the store to keep things easy.
Additions and Substitutions. Use grilled salmon or steak in place of the chicken if you like. Add cooked grains (quinoa, farro, barley, brown rice), sliced shallot or red onion, or chick peas to this recipe to bulk it up. Use almonds or pepitas instead of walnuts. Swap the pears for apples, fresh berries, or peaches. Use kale, spinach, or mixed greens in place of some or all of the arugula.
To adjust the dressing:Add a splash of maple syrup or honey for a sweeter dressing; for more tart flavor, add extra lemon juice. Use avocado oil in place of olive oil if you like. Use a good olive oil here (we love EXAU olive oils!) because you'll definitely taste it in the dressing.
This recipe makes enough for a light coat of dressing.If you like a heavier dressing on your salads, or if you add extra ingredients to the salad, you may want to double the lemon dressing here (you likely won't need the full double-batch, but extra dressing will keep up to a week in the fridge!)
This is a VERY forgiving recipe:Feel free to eyeball the exact amount of each ingredient here, and make adjustments as needed to suit your palate!
Serving sizes.This recipe makes two large servings (perfect for a main course) or 4 side salads.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 side salad
- Calories: 262
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 81.2 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 42.5 mg
More Easy Salad Recipes
- 5 Minute Lemon Arugula Salad
- 5 Ingredient Tortellini Salad
- Corn and Tomato Pasta Salad
- Easy Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad (Video)
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Reader Interactions
Discussion
Eva Burns
sound nutritious, appreciate other hints low sodium too
Reply
Jessie
Thanks, Eva!
Reply
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