Build a Better Salad with Litehouse...Featuring Fall Chopped Chicken Salad #BuildABetterSalad #FallSalad

It's quickly coming up on October...and Fall is in the air. Even here in Central Texas, the weather starting to cool off from Summer hot to merely warm! I love creating hearty main dish salads all Summer long...but did you know Fall is also a great time to enjoy a hearty main dish salad? By using seasonal ingredients and flavors, you can easily transition your salad game from Summer to Fall! Today, I'm partnering with Litehouse Foods to show you how to use their organic salad dressings to build a better salad any time of year!

Litehouse Organic salad dressings contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives -- and they are USDA organic, gluten free, and non-GMO. The dressings are available in a variety of delicious flavors that are perfect for providing amazing flavor to you salad creations. I received a sampler of delicious Litehouse Organic dressings -- including Balsamic Vinaigrette and creamy, spoonable Ranch and blue cheese dressings. I used the Organic Lemon Herb Dressing & Marinade to create my Fall Chopped Chicken Salad -- it provides a citrus punch that perfectly complements the salad's Fall flavors. Chicken breast, roasted sweet potato and onion, crunchy apple, nuts, feta, and dried cranberries are tossed in the lemony vinaigrette and served slightly warm or at room temperature. The salad is garnished with flat leaf parsley, but there are no salad greens in this hearty salad. If you think salads are just for Spring and Summer, this Fall-inspired salad is certain to change your mind!

Fall Chopped Chicken Salad

 a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings):

• 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup Litehouse Organic Lemon Herb Dressing & Marinade
• 1/2 lb. chicken breast
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (leave peel on if you prefer)
• 1/2 purple onion, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 tbs. + 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 large Gala apple, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Add the chicken and 1/3 cup of Litehouse Organic Lemon Herb Dressing and Marinade to a bowl; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Add the sweet potato chunks and onion wedges to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbs. olive oil and sprinkle with the cinnamon, cumin, and salt & pepper. Toss to evenly coat veggies with the oil and seasonings. Roast until the onion is soft and the sweet potatoes are tender -- approximately 40 minutes. For even cooking, rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Step 2: While the veggies roast, prepare the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into 1" chunks.

Step 3: Remove the roasted sweet potatoes and onions from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before assembling the salad -- that gives you the perfect pocket of time to core and chop the apple. To assemble the salad, add the cooked sweet potato and onion to a large salad bowl. Add the chopped chicken, apple, walnuts, feta, and dried cranberries. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of Litehouse Organic Lemon Herb Dressing and Marinade on top and toss the ingredients to evenly combine and coat with the dressing.

That's it! This Fall dinner salad is simple to make and easy to assemble for a no-fuss weeknight dinner. Simply cook, toss, and serve! The Fall flavors of sweet potato, apple, and dried cranberry pair nicely with the warm cumin and cinnamon spices. The citrus zing of the Litehouse Organic Lemon Herb Dressing and Marinade adds a bit of brightness that elevates all of the flavors. This is one great salad! Prefer to eat meatless? Leave out the chicken...you'll still have a hearty and filling salad. If you like, feel free to add a handful of spinach leaves or Spring mix blend to make this recipe a traditional salad.

To showcase today's salad, my friends at Litehouse sent me a fun Build a Better Salad Kit. It contained several bottles of delicious Litehouse Organic Dressings to try out in my kitchen. The kit also included the beautiful wooden salad bowl and colorful wooden plates featured in my photographs for this article. These serving pieces made displaying and serving my salad extra special! Litehouse Organic Dressings are available in the refrigerated produce department at grocery retailers nationwide.

Disclosure: Litehouse provided me with a Build a Better Salad Kit  -- comprised of salad dressing samples and salad serving pieces -- to facilitate today's feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

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