Apple, Bacon & Pecan Salad with Garlic Balsamic Dressing

I don’t consider myself a salad person, but I am definitely a bacon person. This recipe sounded like a nice change of pace and the fresh produce made me feel a tad less guilty about the bacon. And the pecans and olive oils are healthy fats, right? Okay, I’m reaching but the ingredients for this salad sounded tasty, so I had to give it a whirl.

A yummy way to eat those greens! Add in a little smokey bacon, some sweet crisp apple and a yummy dressing!

The Ingredients

I had everything but the produce and chicken on hand, and the ingredients I needed were easy to find and reasonably priced. I was even able to find pecan pieces, so no chopping required. All I had to do was toast them in my toaster oven with the dial set between 2 and 3 and let them cool.

Definitely try to find a Fuji apple. They are sweet and crisp without being too tart, and the peel didn’t have a bitter taste.

The Process

I made a cumin-based spice rub for the chicken (recipe follows) and cooked it in a skillet with some olive oil (20 minutes total, turning a few times). I let the chicken cool for about 10 minutes, then I popped it into the refrigerator to await topping my salad. The time I spent slicing the chicken is included in the salad prep time. Everything was completed in 10 minutes.

There isn’t any special equipment needed for this recipe (always a bonus), but an apple corer is nice to have and makes preparing the apples very fast. I used a cocktail shaker for the salad dressing. It was more effective than whisking and less clean up than my mini-prep blender.

Toasted Cumin and Black Pepper Rub

The Hungry Pinner

This toasted spice rub is an easy way to add flavor to beef and chicken. Make up a batch, and keep it in a sealed container so it's handy for quick dinners.

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup Cumin Seeds
• 2 tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tbsp Black Peppercorns
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar

Instructions

 

Stove-top Method

• Add all ingredients to a skillet and toast on medium for about 2 minutes, stirring from time to time so the spices cook evenly. Spices should darken and become aromatic when ready.
• Allow to cool, then grind in a spice grinder. makes enough rub for 4 chicken breast quarters.

Toaster Oven Method

• Add all ingredients to a rimmed tray that will fir into the toaster oven. Set dial between 2 and 3, and toast. Spices should darken and become aromatic when ready.
• Allow to cool, then grind in a spice grinder. makes enough rub for 4 chicken breast quarters.

Notes

Adapted from The National Chicken Council