Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette

Salad:

• 1 ½ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium)
• salt and black pepper
• 1 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• ½ ½ cup water
• 1 1 large head romaine lettuce torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups)
• 8 8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1 medium granny smith apple cored and chopped or sliced thin
• ½ ½ red onion sliced thin
• ¼ ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 1 cup spiced pecans store-bought or following the simple recipe below

Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette:

• ¼ ¼ cup cranberry juice or water
• ¼ ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ ¼ cup red wine or raspberry vinegar
• 1 1 shallot peeled and quartered
• 1 1 small garlic clove peeled
• 2 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ½ ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Quick Spiced Pecans:

• 2 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 1 tablespoon sugar