Strawberry Chicken Salad is a mouthwatering concoction of chicken, freshly picked strawberries, creamy goat cheese, spinach, crisp red onions, and cucumbers covered in a light and refreshing balsamic vinaigrette dressing. You should also try my Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Salad!
Strawberry Chicken Salad
This strawberry chicken salad just screams summer to me. I don’t know if there is any truth to it, but I feel like the hot summer temperatures make me crave different foods. I definitely eat a ton more fruits and vegetables in the summer months. Part of that, I am sure, is the availability of fresh clean produce. But don’t hold me to any of that, I will literally eat this salad year round. It is so good!
Strawberry Chicken Salad Ingredients
The primary ingredient in this strawberry chicken salad recipe is strawberries. Obviously. The first time someone suggested fruit in a salad I thought they were crazy. Now, I love pairing fruits with my salads! I know it doesn’t seem like much, but when I craft together a veggie fruit mixture that pairs together so well, I sort of feel like an artist. One that gets to eat her artwork. Best. Job. Ever.
We grow our own strawberries, so after we harvest them, we love to make up a salad like this. It is quick and easy, and oh so delicious! If you don’t have your own strawberry patch, there are tons of local strawberry farms around, so just do a tiny bit of research and you should find one. Side perk: Strawberry Farms are usually a fun family outing too! Otherwise, I like to go the organic strawberry route if I am buying them at the grocery store.
Tips Tricks and Variations
- I season my chicken by marinating it in the balsamic vinaigrette. You could mix it up for your liking, salt, and pepper, cajun seasoning, or even a seasoning mix will work.
- I love the creamy texture of goats cheese, but you could swap it out for feta or even blue cheese. Just make sure it has a little tang to it. A lot of people really prefer cheese with a little more texture to it. For those people, I would recommend Feta. If you are in the group of people that like your cheese super tangy, go with Blue Cheese.
- This salad is great with some toasted almond slivers, or even some candied pecans if you want to get fancy:)
Looking for other side dish recipes?
Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Salad
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Strawberry Chicken Salad is mouthwatering summer concoction of chicken, freshly picked strawberries, creamy goat cheese, spinach, crisp red onions, and cucumbers covered in a light and refreshing balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons shallots, chopped
- 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
SALAD
- 4 chicken breasts
- 3 cups strawberries
- 1/2 cup cucumber
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 6 cups baby spinach, or your favorite greens
- 2 ounces goat cheese, or your favorite cheese
Instructions
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In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, shallots, garlic, honey, water, thyme, salt, and pepper. You will need to mix this together a few times before serving, the oil will naturally separate.
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Place the raw chicken into a plastic zip-lock bag and pour half of the vinaigrette on top. Seal the bag and chill for 20 minutes (you can do this longer for extra flavor)
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In a non-stick pan or skillet, cook the chicken over medium heat, about 7 minutes on each side. Make sure the chicken is cooked through the center and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You may need to adjust the time based on the thickness of your chicken.
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While chicken is cooking, slice your strawberries, cucumbers and red onions.
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Set cooked chicken onto a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, and then slice.
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In a large bowl, add spinach, cucumbers, red onions, strawberries, and the remaining vinaigrette dressing. Toss to coat.
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Divide between 4 plates and top each salad with chicken and goat cheese.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
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