This Kale Crunch Salad with Grilled Chicken combines crisp apples, cabbage, celery and pepitas with maple Dijon dressing for a fresh, crunchy fall salad.

I am obsessed with the Kale Crunch Salad from Chick-fil-A, but I don’t want to grab a takeout side salad every week, so obviously I had to create my own version at home. This crunchy kale and apple salad has so much texture from crisp apples, celery and shredded cabbage, plus grilled chicken for protein and feta for a little extra flavor (though it’s totally optional!).

It all gets tossed in a quick Maple Dijon Vinaigrette that tastes like fall and has similar flavors to my Harvest Salad with Sweet Potatoes.

I love grilled chicken on this kale and chicken salad, but if you want to prep some of the components ahead of time, make a batch of my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and chop them up when you’re ready to eat. They’d be perfect here, too.

What You Need to Make This Crunchy Kale and Apple Salad

Inspired by Chick-fil-A’s Kale Crunch, I wanted to give this version a little more substance to make it a complete meal; perfect when you’re craving a big ass salad. And thanks to hearty kale and cabbage, it also holds up really well for meal prep lunches if that’s more your thing.

Chicken breasts: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook them in a little olive or avocado oil. You can also prep my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and chop them up for this salad later in the week.
Seasonings: Keep it simple with kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.
Kale: Finely chop the kale and remove the tough stems.
Green cabbage: I like to use fresh cabbage because it holds up longer for meal prep, but a bag of pre-shredded cabbage is totally fine in a pinch. Use what works for you.
Apples: Cosmic Crisp or Honeycrisp are my favorites here, but use your favorite sweet, crisp red apple. I chop mine for easier bites with the chicken.
Celery: A few thinly sliced ribs add another layer of fresh crunch.
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas): Optional, but I love the extra crunch and fall vibes they add.
Feta: Also optional, but the salty, tangy flavor pairs so well with the sweet apples and savory chicken.
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette: A quick homemade dressing that ties all those fall flavors together.

Maple Dijon Dressing ingredients

I love this tangy, slightly sweet vinaigrette to tie everything together. You can easily prep it 1–2 days ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the salad.

Extra-virgin olive oil: The base of the vinaigrette.
Apple cider vinegar: Adds plenty of tang and pairs especially well with the apples.
Dijon mustard: Adds tang and helps emulsify the dressing.
Pure maple syrup: Adds just enough sweetness to balance the vinegar and Dijon.
Seasonings: Fresh garlic, kosher salt and black pepper.

How to Make Kale and Chicken Salad

This salad is super simple to prep, and while I could tell you to chop everything, toss it in a bowl and call it a day, I like to use my food processor to finely chop the kale and shred the cabbage. Mostly because I am lazy and would rather let the food processor do the work than chop it all by hand.

This is totally up to you: you can absolutely prep everything with a good knife instead. Here’s how I make it, with step-by-step photos below:

start by grilling chicken breasts in a skillet

add kale to a bowl and massage with olive oil

how to prep and store leftovers

For meal prep: Prep the chicken, kale, cabbage, celery and Maple Dijon Vinaigrette up to 3–4 days ahead. Store separately, then add the apples, pepitas and dressing when ready to eat for the best crunch.
To store leftovers: Already tossed everything together? No problem. Store the dressed salad in an airtight container for 2–3 days. The kale and cabbage will soften a bit but hold up much better than lettuce. The feta gets a little lost after a day in the fridge (speaking from experience), so feel free to top with extra once enjoying leftovers.