Roast Beef Salad with Plums
20 min
Sweet, tangy plums with roast beef and a honey-lime dressing — a salad that actually feels like a proper meal.
saladbeefquick
Crisp apple, crunchy walnuts, and creamy blue cheese — this comes together in under 20 minutes and feels way fancier than the effort involved.
Instructions
- 1
Pull the skin and bones off the grilled chicken thighs, then tear the meat into smaller pieces.
- 2
Toast the walnuts in a dry hot pan until they smell nutty, then season with a little salt.
- 3
Cook the peas in lightly salted water for about 2 minutes, drain, and cool them quickly under cold water.
- 4
Slice the apple into thin pieces and cut the fennel into strips. Toss everything together — chicken, walnuts, peas, apple, and fennel — then crumble the blue cheese over the top.
Per average serving
508
Calories
kcal
36.9
Protein
g
13.1
Carbs
g
34.6
Fat
g
3.5g
Fiber
7.4g
Sugar
753mg
Sodium
Family Portions
2portions
Adults
2
Children
No children added
Ingredients
Per average serving
508
Calories
kcal
36.9
Protein
g
13.1
Carbs
g
34.6
Fat
g
3.5g
Fiber
7.4g
Sugar
753mg
Sodium
Tips from the kitchen
- The walnuts go from raw to burnt fast. Stay at the pan and keep them moving. You want them golden and fragrant, not dark brown. A minute or two on medium heat is usually enough.
- Cold peas matter here. If you skip the cold water rinse after draining, they carry over heat and turn khaki. Thirty seconds under the tap stops that.
- Fennel can be tough if you cut it too thick. Aim for strips about as thin as a coin. The mandoline is faster, but a sharp knife works fine if you take your time.
- Tear the chicken by hand rather than chopping it. Chopped pieces go a bit rubbery in a cold salad. Torn pieces have more texture and hold the dressing better.
- Assemble this right before you eat it. The apple starts to brown and the fennel softens if it sits dressed for more than 20 minutes.
Ways to vary it
- Gorgonzola is the obvious blue cheese here, but Roquefort works too if you want something sharper. If blue cheese isn't your thing, a crumbled feta gives you the same salty contrast without the funk.
- Swap the walnuts for pecans if that's what you have. They toast the same way and the sweetness works well with the apple.
- You can use chicken breast instead of thighs. It'll be a bit leaner and less juicy, so don't skip tearing it into generous chunks so it doesn't disappear into the salad.
Storage & leftovers
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within a day. The apple browns and the fennel goes limp after that. This doesn't freeze well at all. No reheating needed since it's a cold salad, but if the chicken feels dry straight from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before eating.
What to serve with it
A slice of good sourdough on the side is all this needs. If you're serving it as a starter before something heavier, keep the portions small.
UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 25 July 2026
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