Chicken Pear Salad Recipe (with Goat Cheese)

If you’re looking for a salad that feels both fresh and comforting, this Chicken Pear Salad with Goat Cheese is just the thing! It’s packed with the crisp sweetness of juicy pears, savory bites of tender chicken, and that delicious, creamy tang from crumbled goat cheese. This isn’t your average side salad—it’s hearty enough to be a satisfying meal on its own, but light enough to leave you feeling energized.

I love this salad because it’s a perfect mix of flavors and textures: sweet pears, crunchy greens, nutty pecans (or walnuts if you’re feeling fancy), and a drizzle of homemade dressing that ties everything together with a touch of brightness. It’s a salad that feels like a little treat in every bite! Whether you’re whipping it up for a weeknight dinner or impressing friends at a lunch gathering, this Chicken Pear Salad is sure to be a hit. Let’s dig into all the flavors and make something fresh and tasty!

I used to think that I didn’t really need a recipe for a salad. All you had to do was throw a bunch of stuff together and add some dressing. Well, I don’t think all salads are created equal, and I’ve found that following a recipe sometimes helps the salad achieve perfect balance. Dressings definitely are not created equal. They’re easy to put together and taste so much better than store-bought.

Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

Ingredients for Chicken Pear Salad

Simple ingredients with wholesome ingredients make the best salads. The flavors are perfectly balanced with the different textures.

When it comes to fresh pears, you have options. We eat a lot of Bartlett pears but we wanted to spice up our pears by quickly sauteeing them with warm cinnamon, sweet honey, and a little apple juice. Bartlett pears are soft and wouldn’t hold up to that. Anjou pears were the answer. Now, you can use a purchased vinaigrette or convenience such as honey mustard. In that case, I’d go for Bartlette. You may have a lot of other options where you live. Use what you like.

Our homemade Pear Dressing has a honey-mustard profile that’s sweet with a little heat, smooth, and tangy. It’s the perfect contrast to our fresh salad ingredients.

To make a salad that is satisfying, we add chicken. You can stop and grab a rotisserie chicken, use leftovers, or use deli meat. Protein will keep you full and in addition to the chicken, we add goat cheese and pecans.

For our greens, you can use a combination of mixed lettuce or grab a head of romaine. We also add fresh blueberries, and our sauteed pears, and top the whole thing with croutons. Like I said, this salad is a meal!

How to Make Chicken Pear Salad

This salad originated with some leftover chicken that we’d put on the grill the day before. With the weather getting nicer, I just had salad on the brain. I found some beautiful Anjou pears and blueberries and just ran with that idea. The pears are lightly sauteed, so they are softened in this salad and not too crunchy. I’m so pleased with the result. Here’s how to make it.

Sautée the pears.

In a skillet, combine the apple juice, honey, and cinnamon. Once simmering, add the sliced pears. Cook for 3 minutes.

Mix the Homemade Pear Dressing.

In a salad cruet or jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake to blend.

Assemble the Salad.

Place greens on a plate. Add blueberries, sliced chicken, sauteed pears, pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and croutons. Dress lightly with dressing.

Variations for the Chicken and Pear Salad

You can make so many different variations for this salad and they will all turn out lovely. One of my favorites is to use gorgonzola instead of goat cheese. It gives the salad a little bite. You can also trade out the type of greens used, try dried fruit instead of fresh fruit, use different types of berries, go with apples instead of pears, use glazed nuts or plain nuts in almost any variety, and trade out the cheese for your favorite. A rich cranberry goat cheese would be amazing. In addition to all of these things, you could get a store-bought dressing, such as a raspberry vinaigrette or dressing of your choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Pear Chicken Salad be made ahead?

I recommend preparing and storing the components of the salad separately and combining them right before serving it for the best results.

How to store leftovers

While leftover salad can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will get soggy quickly and be less palatable within hours unless you keep the ingredients separate and then combine them on your plate. The dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The sauteed pears will keep for a few days stored in an airtight container by themselves.

How to Serve Chicken Pear Salad

It is so easy to grill extra chicken one night and serve this salad for lunch or dinner the next day or even grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home from work to use with dinner. It’s equally perfect with grilled salmon or grilled steak if you prefer that instead. Pair the salad with a crusty slice of homemade bread or baguette. It’s really a beautiful meal without any extra fuss.

Tips for Best Results

Slice the pears right before sauteeing them so that your pears don’t become brown and unattractive in your pear and chicken salad recipe.

Make sure you remove the pears from the liquid so that they stop cooking. Set them aside while you mix the dressing from the liquid in your pan.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Chicken Pear Salad with Goat Cheese

Author: Hostess At Heart

This Chicken Pear Salad with goat cheese is a delicious mix of sweet, savory, and creamy flavors, tossed with greens and a homemade dressing.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Chicken, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword: Chicken Pear Salad, Goat Cheese, Pear Salad, Salad with Goat Cheese

Servings: 2

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Sauteed Pears

• 1 pear anjou peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 cup apple juice

Pear Dressing

• 1/3 cup pear juice reserved juice from sauteed
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne optional
• 3 scallions sliced thinly (white and green parts)

Salad

• 1 cup Salad Greens
• 1 cup Chicken cooked, de-boned and sliced
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped (optional toasted or candied)
• 1/2 cup Goat Cheese
• croutons Homemade

Instructions

 

• In a skillet, combine the apple juice, honey, and cinnamon. Once simmering, add the sliced pears. Cook for 3 minutes. Pears should be slightly softened but still firm. Remove pears from the liquid to stop cooking. Set the pears and liquid aside to cool.
• In a salad cruet or jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake to blend.
• Assemble the salad by placing greens on a plate. Add blueberries, sliced chicken, sauteed pears, pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and croutons. Dress lightly with dressing.
• Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 2gCalories: 831kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 26gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 1578mgPotassium: 672mgFiber: 10gSugar: 71gVitamin A: 1382IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 170mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

This pear and goat cheese salad made a great meal that filled us up and we weren’t digging through the cupboards looking for a snack an hour later. I really crave great salads that are on the healthier side but still delicious like our Chicken Salad Greek Yogurt recipe, Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad, and Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.

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Originally released on May 19, 2016, this Chicken Pear salad has undergone updates to enhance our readers’ experience including tips and details. No changes were made to the actual recipe.