What To Eat With Apple Pear Salad And Chicken: Best Pairings
Want to make your everyday salad meal more special? Pairing these selected ingredients with apple-pear chicken salad will satisfy your taste buds while maintaining nutritional balance.
What side dishes go well with apple pear salad and chicken?
Here are some side dishes that go great with it:
Roast some root vegetables. Carrots, sweet potatoes or beets all work. Cut them into pieces, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with some spices and roast until the outside is slightly charred. The warm sweetness goes great with the chicken and can also balance out the lightness of the salad.
For the rice, quinoa or brown rice are quite suitable. Add some lemon juice and parsley to enhance the flavor. They have a thick and filling texture without overpowering the taste of the fruits.
If you want something refreshing, brush kale with oil and roast it until crispy, or pair arugula with some chopped nuts. With a bit of bitterness, they are very appetizing.
What dressing works best for apple pear salad?
Basic Honey-Lemon Dressing
Whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon of honey, and a pinch of salt. The acidity can enhance the freshness, and the sweetness of honey echoes the fruits. Taste a piece of pear in the salad before pouring. If the pear is already sweet enough, you can reduce the amount of honey by half.
Greek Yogurt Base Dressing
Combine plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and chopped mint leaves. The contrast between the creamy texture of yogurt and the crispness of fruits is interesting, and mint can bring out a refreshing feeling. If you prefer a stronger milk flavor, add a small spoonful of white sesame paste.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Mix 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 tablespoon of grated ginger, and cracked black pepper. Using apple cider vinegar can create a flavor continuity with the apples and pears in the salad. The slight spiciness of grated ginger is great for cutting through greasiness. This is suitable for a mild version of the chicken dish.
Southeast Asian-Inspired Variation
Mix coconut milk and lime juice in a 1:1 ratio, and add a little fish sauce (half a teaspoon is enough). This combination works better with roasted chicken drumsticks. The savory taste can balance the sweetness of the fruits. If you're afraid of the fishy smell, you can replace it with a small amount of light soy sauce.
When the weather is hot, I would refrigerate the dressing for 15 minutes before using it. If there are chopped nuts in the salad, remember to reduce the amount of dressing to avoid making the whole salad too soggy.
Can you add nuts to an apple and pear salad with chicken?
Sure, you can add nuts. Pay attention to these details when choosing nuts:
Prefer roasted nuts
For example, dry roast walnuts or slivered almonds in a pan over low heat for 3 minutes until they emit a fragrance. This makes them more crispy and fragrant than adding raw nuts directly, and they won't have a raw and astringent taste.
The size should match the ingredients
Apples and pears are usually cut into pieces. It is recommended to cut the nuts coarsely or break them into quarter-sized pieces. Whole pine nuts or sunflower seeds can be used directly to maintain the interest of different granule textures.
Control the addition time
If you are making and eating the salad immediately, sprinkle the nuts directly when mixing the salad. If you need to store it, put the nuts in a small bag separately and sprinkle them before eating to avoid making them soft by the sauce.
Techniques for sweet and salty combinations
If you use salty cheese in the salad, choose plain nuts. If it is a pure fruit version, you can mix a small amount of honey-roasted pecans, but reduce the sugar in the sauce.
What are the best cheeses to pair with a chicken and apple salad?
Goat Cheese
It has a soft texture with a slight acidity, which can balance the sweetness of the fruits. It is recommended to break it into small pieces by hand and sprinkle them on top of the salad instead of mixing it too finely. Use it directly after refrigeration, and the milk flavor will be more concentrated.
Medium-aged Cheddar Cheese
Shred it into thin slices or fine shreds. It has a strong milk flavor but is not overly salty. It is suitable for the version with grilled chicken breast, especially when there are walnuts in the salad, making the overall flavor more mellow.
A Small Amount of Blue Cheese
Just take a piece the size of a thumb nail and crush it with a fork before scattering. The intense savory flavor contrasts with the crispness of the apples, and it is suitable for those who prefer strong flavors. It is recommended to pair it with vinaigrette-style dressings and avoid using creamy bases.
Feta Cheese
The brine-soaked version is more suitable. It has a mild inherent saltiness that can enhance the freshness. Cut it into small cubes about 1 centimeter in size, similar to the size of the apple chunks, creating an interesting contrast in texture.
What fruits can I pair with grilled chicken in a salad?
These combinations are really great:
Citrus fruits: Peel the flesh of blood oranges or grapefruits and tear them into small pieces. The acidity can cut through greasiness, especially suitable for pairing with chicken marinated with herbs. Remember to remove the white membranes to avoid bitterness.
Berries: Use whole raspberries or blackberries, and cut blueberries in half. Frozen berries should be thawed first and blotted dry with kitchen paper. When paired with tender spinach leaves, the contrast of red and green is really visually appealing.
Stone fruits: Slice nectarines or plums. Using them with the skin makes them crunchier. If the chicken has a smoky flavor, you can try grilled peach slices. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder on the surface. It will be especially fragrant after caramelization.
Tropical fruits: Cut mangoes into thick strips and soak the diced pineapples in salt water for 5 minutes. These two are suitable for pairing with chicken marinated with curry powder. A coconut milk dressing would be a better match.
How do you balance the flavors in a chicken and fruit salad?
Adjust the sweet and sour ratio according to the sweetness of the fruits.
When using tart Granny Smith apples, you can add honey or maple syrup to the dressing. If the fruits are very sweet (such as mangoes), switch to a lemon juice-based dressing. Once, when I cut an overripe pear, squeezing half a lime immediately saved the situation.
Be more restrained with the sources of saltiness.
If the roasted chicken has been marinated with herbs in advance, choose mild-tasting mozzarella cheese. If the chicken is lightly seasoned, a small sprinkle of Parmesan cheese shavings can enhance the freshness. Never use both a salty dressing and salty cheese at the same time, as it's easy to make the salad too salty.
Include at least two crispy ingredients.
I've tried the combination of roasted quinoa crisps + cucumber cubes, which is more interesting than just adding nuts. Shredding the chicken into strips makes it easier for the crispy elements to adhere, so you can experience different textures in every bite.
Adjust the thickness of the dressing according to the water content of the fruits.
For fruits with high water content like peaches or oranges, make the dressing thicker (add sesame paste or yogurt). For apples and pears with less water content, use a vinaigrette with strong liquidity.
Finally, sprinkling fresh herbs is the secret weapon.
Pair mint leaves with berries, perilla leaves with tropical fruits, and dill with citrus fruits. Tear the herbs by hand and give them a gentle pat before sprinkling. This can release the aroma better than cutting them with a knife.
