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Salad topped with pears, grilled chicken, turkey bacon, cranberries, goat cheese, walnuts, and avocado with a fork.
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4.55 from 22 votes

Pear Salad with Walnuts, Avocado and Grilled Chicken

An easy pear salad with walnuts, avocado and grilled chicken. This combo makes for a satisfying meal-sized salad that's perfect for pear season!
Prep Time20 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pear salad
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 6 cups spring mix
  • 2 pears I used Red Anjou and Green Bartlett, sliced or chopped
  • 6 oz grilled chicken breast
  • 2 slices of cooked turkey bacon
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
  • 2 Tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts raw or toasted
  • 1/2 avocado sliced or chopped into chunks

Maple Balsamic Dressing

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar I used white
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Prepare bacon + chicken: Cook turkey bacon and grill chicken if you haven't already. See notes.
  • Make dressing: Prepare dressing by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl or jar. I like using a jar with a lid for this so you can easily store any leftover dressing in the fridge in that same jar.
  • Prep salad: Grab two bowls and add a base of spring mix, pear slices, grilled chicken breast, bacon, goat cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts and avocado.
  • Serve: Drizzle salad with desired amount of balsamic dressing and enjoy!

Notes

Cooking bacon – place slices on a paper towel lined microwave-safe place. Cover with another paper towel and cook on high in the microwave for 2-4 minutes, using 1 minute increments. Every microwave is different so you'll have to experiment with the timing for this. You want the bacon to be cooked through and crispy enough that it snaps when you chop/break it into pieces. Of course, you can also cook the bacon the stove-top using the package instructions.  I like cooking bacon in the microwave because it's fast and I hate bacon grease being popped all over my stove.
Grilled chicken – I love using my apple cider vinegar chicken recipe, but you can use whatever seasoning you like or save time by purchasing grilled chicken from the grocery store.

Nutrition

Serving: 1salad with 2 T dressing | Calories: 587kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 26g | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 34g