Name: Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches {Air Fryer or Instant Pot}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients: 1 pound Chicken Breasts Boneless/Skinless (Air Fried or Poached); sprinkling Salt & Pepper; 1/2 cup Red Grapes (diced); 1/2 cup Apples (Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Red Delicious) (peeled and diced); 1/4 cup Celery Stalks (strings peeled away and diced); 1/4 cup Whole Pecans (chopped); 1/2 cup Olive Oil Mayonnaise (Light or Regular); 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt; Romaine Lettuce; 8 slices Honey Wheat Bread; 1 Avocados (sliced into 8 slices)

Forget Arby’s and enjoy your own homemade Pecan Chicken Salad as a Sandwich or on a bed of lettuce. Fresh apples, grapes and celery give the salad a nice crunch.

Pecan Chicken Salad

Forget Arby’s and enjoy your own homemade Pecan Chicken Salad as a Sandwich or on a bed of lettuce.

Use an Air Fryer to grill the Chicken or an Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker to poach the Chicken.

The fresh apples, grapes and celery give the salad a nice crunch.

Cast of Ingredients for Pecan Chicken Salad

Do you remember the delicious Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich that Arby’s used to sell only for a few months a year?

So, I decided to try to recreate the Salad. I watched one of their 30 second commercials, where the ingredients are quickly flashed across the screen.

Easy peasy.

Ingredients for Arby’s Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches?

Grilled Chicken Breast
Red Grapes
Juicy Apples
Crunchy Pecans
Celery
Mayonnaise

For my recipe, I use Avocados on the sandwiches, which really adds a nice flavor and creaminess, which I thought their sandwich was lacking.

Salt and Pepper Chicken

Every year I like to plan specical, easy, but delicious meals to take for picnic to the Hollywood Bowl.

One year, I made a killer Cobb Salad with poached chicken and all the trimmings.

It was before I started my blog, so I did not photograph and post the recipe, but I will.

A couple of years ago, I created my brownies, which took several attempts and by the last show of the season, my The Forum Cafeteria Incredible Chocolate Brownies were developed and perfected.

Pressure Cooker Killer Shrimp was another recipe created to bring to the Hollywood Bowl picnic.

Cook Chicken in Air Fryer

The Chicken is first grilled and then diced.

This is quickly done in an Air Fryer.

If you have an Instant Pot , Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker, you can poach a Chicken Breast too!

Poaching instructions are on the recipe card below.

Dice up Grapes, Celery and Pecans

I like to dice all the ingredients to about the same size, except for the celery.

My husband dislikes celery, so I finely diced it up, so that it doesn’t stare him in the face.

It’s actually really good this way.

He noticed. 🙁

Diced Apples in Water with Lime Juice

Wow, those Diced Apple Chunks sure look enormous.

They aren’t, the camera just makes them look 3x the size.

Since I was waiting on the Chicken to cook, I did not want to add the Apples to the rest of the ingredients.

Apples brown so quickly, so add them to a bowl, with Lime, Lemon or Vinegar and cover in water.

Keep Some True Lime Crystallized on hand, just in case.

Let the Chicken Rest and Cool

Add some time, so that you let the Chicken rest.

If the Chicken is cut open right away, you will lose all the juiciness.

Once the Chicken is cooled, it will be super juicy.

Mix in some Mayonnaise and Salt

Olive Oil Mayonnaise, Low Fat Mayonnaise or Regular Mayonnaise all work well.

For a lighter version, try using half Mayonnaise and Half Homemade Greek Yogurt.

That will also add a little extra protein.

Dice up the Chicken

You can see how juicy the Chicken is from letting it rest.

Dice it up a little bigger than the other ingredients.

The Chicken coming out of the Instant Pot, Mealthy MultiPot or Pressure Cooker won’t have all this color.

It will be equally as good and maybe a bit juicier

As I cannot decide which method I prefer, I will have to make it again.

Just to see and all ………………..

Pecan Chicken Salad in a Bowl

You could just stop here!

A scoop of Pecan Chicken Salad on a bed of greens is so fantastic!

Cut up some Avocado and squeeze on a little Lime Juice for a nice accompaniment.

Other Quick and Light Summer Recipes to Consider are:

Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Lightly toast Honey Wheat Bread and pile on the Pecan Chicken Salad.

To take this Pecan Chicken Salad up a notch, slice up Avocado and add a couple of slices right on top of the Salad.

Oh my gosh, it is so good.

If you squint, you can see the Avocado Slices over there in the corner.

I totally forgot to put them on the Sandwich.

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

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Here is the handy printable recipe: