Chicken Coleslaw with Apples, Pecans & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This is coleslaw 2.0. It’s a vibrant, protein-packed chicken slaw that provides the perfect balance of crunch, sweetness, and savory goodness.
Ingredients
For the Coleslaw
- 4 to 6 cups shredded cabbage, or 12-14 ounces prepackaged coleslaw mix
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 cups cooked/shredded skinless chicken, ~2 medium chicken breasts
- 1 large red apple, chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
For the Dressing (Makes about ⅔ cup)
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 medium to large lemon
- 2 to 3 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. If you haven’t done so already, cook and shred the chicken. You can quickly poach, bake, or use leftover chicken. Just shred it into bite-sized pieces. You can also use a rotisserie chicken; remove the skin and shred the meat with your fingers.
- Chop/shred the produce. Shred the cabbage and carrots if you're not using a prepackaged slaw mix. Dice the red apple into bite-sized pieces. Slice the scallions and roughly chop the pecans.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning—add more honey for sweetness or vinegar for tang.
- Toss everything together. In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, chicken, apple, scallions, and pecans. Toss with tongs. Pour the dressing over the top and mix everything until well-coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This slaw holds up well for a day or two in the fridge.
Notes
- For some heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some finely chopped jalapeño.
- Toss in fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley for added flavor.
- If you don’t have pecans, try walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a different crunch.
- You can swap in any other vinegar for the apple cider vinegar, or even use OJ or cranberry juice in its place.
- Adjust the amount of honey to your liking, or swap for maple syrup for a slight flavor variation.
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 2 cupsCalories: 400Carbohydrates: 21gProtein: 17gTotal Fat: 29g— Unsaturated Fat: 26g— Saturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 450mgFiber: 5gTotal Sugar: 12g— Natural Sugar: 10g— Added Sugar: 2gVitamin A: 3716IUVitamin C: 41mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.