Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Chicken and Beets. A delicious mix of crunchy raw beets, Brussels Sprouts, celery, carrots, and sweet apples tossed with warm shredded chicken in an easy orange tahini dressing Enjoy this light and healthy Brussels Sprout Salad for lunch, dinner, or as an easy side on your next holiday gathering.

If someone had told me 5 years ago that my future self would be eating raw beet and Brussels Sprout salads (and enjoying them!) I would have laughed. Before the start of this blog, I had all kinds of preconceived notions about Brussels sprouts. And beets? Well, I don’t think I had ever tried a cooked beet, let alone a raw one.

Fast forward and you’ll quickly discover that beets and Brussels sprouts are now two of my favorite vegetables, frequently appearing in a range of recipes such as beet hummus, sauteed Brussels sprouts, beet burgers, Bloody Mary’s, and, of course, all the salads.

Whether you already know that you love Brussels sprouts and beets, or you’ve only ever tried them cooked, I highly recommend that you try this shredded Brussels sprout salad. It’s colorful, jam-packed with healthy, nutrient-filled vegetables, and incredibly easy to throw together as a busy weeknight dinner, holiday side, or post-holiday recovery meal.

Ingredients in this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

chicken (see notes below)
shredded Brussels sprouts
carrots
celery
cucumber
beets
apples
green onion
dried cranberries
pumpkin seeds
garlic
ground cumin
tahini
orange juice
apple cider vinegar
maple syrup
olive oil

Easy modifications to this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

If you’re not in the mood for chicken, you don’t have any available, or you simply choose not to eat meat, this shredded Brussels sprout salad will still be delicious. If you’re looking for a little something extra to toss in there, my advice would be a bean or a grain. For example, roasted chickpeas would pair beautifully with the crunch of the Brussels sprouts and sweetness of the beets. Farro would be another delicious addition.

Or, you can do all of the above, PLUS the chicken.

How to make this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

Cook the chicken. To make this light and healthy Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad first start with the chicken. I should note that the addition of chicken is completely optional. Leave it out to make this salad vegetarian. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken and return to a boil. Remove the pot from heat and cover with a lid. Allow the chicken to poach for 25-30 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove chicken to a clean plate and allow to cool until ready to shred with a fork.
Prepare the vegetables. As the chicken cooks, prepare the vegetables. I recommend starting with the vegetables that hold up well after chopping first (celery, carrots, cucumber, green onion, Brussels sprouts), followed by those that change color or start to dry out (apples and beets). If you do notice that the beets or apples start to dry or brown, mix with fresh lemon juice or orange juice.
Mix the dressing. The dressing for this shredded Brussels sprout salad couldn’t be easier to mix together. Add all the ingredients to a small food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Season with additional salt, pepper, or maple syrup, to taste.
Assemble. By this point, the chicken should be ready and the vegetables prepared. Add all ingredients, including the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds to the mixing bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle the entire salad with the tahini dressing or keep the dressing separate- entirely up to you!

Can this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad be prepared ahead of time?

There are several parts to this Brussels sprout and beet salad that can be prepared ahead of time to save time in the kitchen. This includes-

The chicken. This would be the easiest time saver. Prep the meat ahead of time and warm up just before serving. Or, use leftover rotisserie chicken. Even better? All that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Pre-chop vegetables. That is, pre-chop some of them. Cucumbers, carrots, and celery would all do really well if prepared ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container. The same can be said for the Brussels sprouts, however, I would recommend storing these in a zip-lock bag with as much air removed as possible. If time permits, I would wait on the beets and definitely wait to slice the apples.
The dressing. Like the chicken, prepare this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.

How do I shred Brussels Sprouts?

Brussels sprouts can be shredded in several ways- with a knife, a mandoline, or using a cheese grater. I have tried all three methods and find that my favorite is either with a paring knife or with a mandoline. The cheese grater is too unstable and the blade is not sharp enough.

To shred Brussels sprouts with a knife, simply slice off the hard, woody end and cut in half vertically. Remove any bruised or dried out outer leaves and discard. Cut-side down, thinly slice the Brussels sprouts cross-wise from root to top. Tease apart the layers. This method is a bit more methodical and time-consuming than with the mandoline.
To shred Brussels sprouts with a mandoline, remove any outer leaves that appear bruised or dried. Wearing protective gloves, hold the Brussels sprout by its woody stem and slice the Brussels sprout across the mandoline until you reach the end. Repeat. I love using my mandoline to shred Brussels sprouts, however, it does waste a bit more of the vegetable when compared to using a knife.

Tools needed to make this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Beets

Mandoline Slicer– those super thinly sliced beets? yeah, I didn’t do that. Actually, not true. I did that with the help of my friend the mandoline. If you do use this super handy kitchen tool, make sure to use protective gloves! This kitchen bff of mine may have landed me in the ER with stitches because I didn’t understand the importance of gloves or a guard.
Paring knife– for the apples and cucumbers and celery and…
Julienne Peeler– to make all those veggie noodles
Cutting board- whatever you have. For veggies, the bigger, the better.
Mixing bowl- Unless you decrease the serving size and cut the recipe in half, you will need to initially mix this salad in a super large mixing bowl.

Do you really need everything listed above to make this shredded Brussels sprout salad? Well, yes and no.

Since the beets are raw, the mandoline was the only kitchen tool I owned which would slice this super hard root vegetable thin enough so that it would mix seamlessly with the salad. I do not recommend trying to thinly slice raw beets with a kitchen knife.

I also used the mandoline to shred the Brussels sprouts. However, I have also used a simple paring knife to thinly slice Brussel sprouts and it has worked beautifully (see note above on how to shred Brussels sprouts).

If you try cooking this Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Chicken and Beets, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.

For more shredded Brussels sprout salad recipes check out,

For more Brussels sprout recipes check out,

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