Healthy Chicken Pear Salad with Balsamic Maple Dressing

ByNkechi Ajaeroh, MPH September 21, 2026September 21, 2026

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This healthy Chicken Pear Salad is loaded with tender chicken, juicy pear, creamy avocado, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts over mixed greens. Finished with a simple balsamic maple dressing, it’s an easy, satisfying salad for lunch or dinner. The best thing about this salad is that it’s versatile! Feel free to add feta or goat cheese if desired!

Easy Chicken Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

This Healthy Chicken Pear Salad with Balsamic Maple Dressing is fresh, colorful, satisfying, and packed with some of my favorite flavors! Made with tender chicken, juicy pear, creamy avocado, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and mixed greens, then finished with an easy homemade balsamic maple dressing, this is one salad I could happily eat on repeat.

I started making this simple salad as soon as we entered September, and I have been LOVING it! There’s just something about the combination of pear, cranberries, and toasted walnuts that feels perfect as we transition from summer into cooler weather.

But I’m not calling this strictly a “fall salad” because, honestly, why limit a good salad to one season? As long as I can find a good pear, I’m making it! Another thing that surprised me is how much I enjoy this salad without cheese. I love cheese, but it really doesn’t need it. The avocado brings creaminess, the pear and cranberries add sweetness, the walnuts give it crunch, and that maple balsamic dressing ties everything together beautifully.

Looking for an easy healthy chicken salad? This Chicken Pear Salad is loaded with juicy chicken, fresh pear, avocado, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and mixed greens, then finished with a simple balsamic maple dressing. It's an easy high-protein salad for lunch or dinner and a delicious way to use leftover chicken. Perfect for fall, but delicious any time you can find good pears!

However, if you’re a cheese lover, I think some creamy goat cheese would be fantastic here! And of course, if you like chicken in your salads (who doesn’t?), then make sure to check out my chicken corn salad. Also, my keto chicken salad and my spring mix chicken salad!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pear Salad

This is the kind of salad that works for real life. You can make it for a quick lunch, use leftover chicken from dinner, meal prep some of the components ahead, or serve it alongside another dish when you’re feeding the family. It’s also:

Protein-packed: Chicken turns a simple green salad into a satisfying meal.
Loaded with texture: You get tender chicken, juicy pear, creamy avocado, chewy cranberries, and crunchy walnuts in practically every bite.
Easy to customize: Use whatever cooked chicken you have available, add goat cheese if you want it, or change up the greens.
Great for leftovers: Already have cooked chicken in the refrigerator? You’re halfway there.
Quick to make: Once your chicken is cooked, the salad comes together in minutes.
Perfect beyond fall: The ingredients certainly give cozy autumn vibes, but there’s no reason to make this only once a year.

FYI

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Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Pear Salad

Mixed Super Greens

I use about 3 to 4 cups of mixed super greens, a combination of baby kale, baby spinach, and arugula. I love getting different greens into one bowl, and the pepperiness of the arugula works especially well with the sweet pear.

Chicken

You’ll need one cooked boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast. I used a boneless chicken thigh because it stays juicy and flavorful, but either works beautifully. You can air-fry, bake, or pan-sear your chicken. Better still, use leftover chicken to save yourself time!

Pear

I use one Bosc pear. It has a lovely texture for salads and holds its shape well after slicing. Choose a pear that is ripe but still firm rather than overly soft.

Avocado

Use half of a regular avocado or one small avocado. This adds a creamy element to the salad, especially since we’remaking it without cheese.

Walnuts

Toasted walnuts bring crunch and a rich, nutty flavor. I use about ¼ cup. I prefer raw walnuts, so I can toast them myself.

Dried Cranberries

A little dried cranberry goes a long way! They bring chewy texture, sweetness, and a slightly tart flavor that works beautifully with the pear and balsamic dressing.

The ingredients for this Chicken Pear Salad are simple, fresh, and full of flavor! You'll need mixed greens, cooked chicken, a fresh pear, creamy avocado, dried cranberries, and crunchy toasted walnuts. Then, everything comes together with an easy homemade balsamic maple dressing made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. Simple ingredients, plenty of texture, and SO good!

How to Make Easy Balsamic Maple Dressing:

This dressing is ridiculously simple, just four main ingredients plus salt and pepper. You’ll need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I use this brand)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (the ingredient should say only one thing – maple syrup)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

The balsamic gives us acidity, Dijon adds tang and helps bring the dressing together, while maple syrup provides just enough sweetness to complement the pear and cranberries.

And you don’t need to use all of it on one salad! Save the extra dressing for another salad or drizzle it over roasted vegetables.

How to Make Chicken Pear Salad

This easy-peasy pear salad with chicken, cranberries, and walnuts is perfect any time of year, especially for fall! This healthy chicken salad with pears is a great way to use leftover chicken! Enough said, let me show you how to make it! And of course the balsamic maple dressing is err-very-thng!

Make the Balsamic Maple Dressing
Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper to a small mason jar. Close tightly and shake until well combined. Taste and adjust as needed, then set aside.
Toast the Walnuts
Add 1 tablespoon of water, ½ teaspoon monk fruit sweetener, and a dash of salt to a small skillet and combine. Add the walnuts and mix. Toast over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the water evaporates and the walnuts are lightly toasted. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Skip this step if using already-toasted walnuts.
Prepare the Chicken
Season one boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast with your favorite seasoning and pan-sear, bake, or air-fry until fully cooked. The internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C). Let it rest briefly, then slice.
If using leftover cooked chicken, simply slice it, and you’re ready to go.
Prepare the Pear and Avocado
Wash the pear thoroughly, remove the core, and slice it.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and peel, and slice the amount you need.
Dress the Greens (optional)
Add the mixed greens to a bowl, drizzle with about 2 teaspoons of the balsamic maple dressing, and gently toss to coat.
Assemble Your Chicken Pear Salad
Place the dressed greens into a serving bowl. Top with sliced chicken, pear, avocado, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with additional balsamic maple dressing as desired and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Notes

Serving size depends on how you’re serving it. This recipe makes one satisfying main-meal salad for an adult or up to three servings as a side salad.

Use leftover chicken to save time. If you already have cooked chicken in the refrigerator, simply slice it and add it to the salad. This makes the recipe incredibly quick to put together.

Chicken thighs or breasts both work. I used a boneless chicken thigh, but boneless chicken breast works just as well. You can air-fry, bake, or pan-sear the chicken. If you need a simple seasoning, I like about 1 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama seasoning for one boneless thigh or breast.

Cook the chicken completely. Whether you’re using chicken breast or thigh, make sure the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

Already-toasted walnuts are perfectly fine. If you’re using store-bought toasted walnuts, skip the toasting step. If you’re toasting them yourself, keep a close eye on them and stir frequently because nuts can burn quickly.

Choose a ripe but firm pear. I used a Bosc pear because I love its crunchiness. Avoid an overly ripe, soft pear, which can become mushy.

Slice the pear and avocado close to serving time. This helps keep them looking and tasting fresh, especially if you’re preparing the other ingredients ahead.

Dress the greens first. I like to add about 2 teaspoons of dressing directly to the greens and gently toss or massage them before adding the toppings. This gives you flavor throughout the salad without needing lots of dressing.

You probably won’t need all the dressing. After lightly dressing the greens, I typically need only about another tablespoon over the finished salad. Save the remaining balsamic maple dressing for another salad or drizzle it over roasted vegetables.

Taste the dressing before serving. After shaking everything together, taste and adjust the salt, pepper, sweetness, or acidity to suit your preference.

Cheese is completely optional. I actually love this salad without cheese; the avocado provides plenty of creaminess. But if you’re a cheese lover, crumbled goat cheese would be delicious here.

Chicken Pear Salad Variations and Substitutions

Try another nut. Pecans would be an excellent substitute for walnuts.
Change the greens. Don’t have my super greens mixture? Baby spinach, arugula, spring mix, or your favorite salad greens will work.
Swap the pear. Apples would work nicely when pears aren’t available, although you’ll technically have a chicken apple salad at that point. 😂
Leave out the cranberries. If you prefer less sweetness, reduce them or omit them.

What to Serve with Chicken Pear Salad

When I make the full recipe for myself, I don’t really need anything else. Between the chicken, greens, fruit, avocado, and walnuts, it’s a satisfying meal on its own.

If you’re serving it as a side salad, pair it with soup, a sandwich, roasted vegetables, or your favorite main dish.

This also makes a beautiful salad for brunch, a lunch gathering, or the holiday table. Perfect for fall and winter when pears, cranberries, and walnuts feel right at home.

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