Chicken Salad with Red Bell Peppers and Pecans

chicken salad in a lettuce cup on pita bread with bowl of chicken salad in background

Chicken salad is one of those dishes can you can toss in almost whatever you have on hand; seasonings, nuts, and fruit or veggies are always a great addition to chicken salad. This recipe, along with my Dill Chicken Salad are my two go-to chicken salads. This recipe is great as a sandwich, a pita, a snack with crackers, or even top a lettuce salad with it!

I like to cook the onions and peppers a little bit with the chicken to soften them slightly. By adding the pecans you get a nice crunch, and they even hold up their crunch nicely after a couple days! You could easily swap in your favorite nut, or leave them out all together. A fresh, flavorful, and healthy snack or meal!

Chicken Salad with Red Bell Peppers and Pecans

Servings 6
Author Laura Doerr

Ingredients

  • 3-4 chicken breast (about 2 cups) chopped
  • olive oil
  • grill seasoning such as Grill Mates
  • 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1/2 small onion chopped
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and lots of black pepper
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped

Dressing

  • 1/3 cup miracle whip or mayo
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet on the stove top, heat over med-high heat. Add chopped chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and grill seasoning. After about 2 minutes add in chopped onion and red bell pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat until chicken is slightly browned and cooked through. About 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before adding to the dressing.
  2. In a medium bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients and stir until well combined.  Add cooled chicken to dressing and stir until chicken is all coated. Stir in chopped pecans. You can always add more yogurt or mayo if desired. Chill for an hour before serving.
  3. Serve in a sandwich, in a toasted pita pocket, on a lettuce salad, or scoop with your favorite crackers! Refrigerate for up to a week. 

Recipe Notes

I recommend using Miracle Whip in this dish, it really does make it and adds a ton of great flavor that you will not get from regular mayo.

Great served in lettuce cups, sandwiches, or stuffed in a pita pocket!  

2 Comments

  • Michele @ BaconFatte.com
    Posted March 27, 2019 2:28 pm 0Likes

    The new logos and blog refresh look amazing, Laura! And so does this colorful chicken salad… Yum!! 🙂

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