Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad A Fresh Twist on a Classic

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Get your daily dose of greens with a twist of sweetness. This Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad is a light and refreshing meal. Perfect for summer!

 

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to bust out the list of grilled salad recipes. There’s nothing more dreadful than thinking about heating up the kitchen after a grueling day at work. A day where the heat index has temps well above the 90s and even close to the 100s. That’s when I’d rather pop out onto the back deck for a little bit to grill up some protein for a hearty and healthy cooling salad for dinner than cook a full meal and heat up the kitchen.

 

One of our favorites is grilled chicken salad. Mainly Caesar because they’re easy to assemble with few ingredients. But sometimes we change things up and make a Cobb or a Niçoise salad. And sometimes we really change things up and make a Vietnamese grilled steak salad.  Occassionally we make a non-greens salad like this corn, avocado, and tomato salad.  But this time I made a strawberry chicken spinach salad! Not only are these salads easy to prepare, but they’re healthier than a fully cooked meal.

 

 

Is adding chicken to salad healthy?

 

Chicken is a great source of protein, which can help keep you feeling full and satisfied. The healthiest of options is chicken breast. It is leaner, but it also lends itself to being dry. Which is not appealing in a salad. But by incorporating chicken into your salad, either light or dark meat, you can boost the protein content and create a well-rounded meal.

 

If you like the flavor of the darker meats, just make sure to remove the skin and bones. This will lower the fat content of the more juicier dark meat. I like to purchase bone in thighs and de-bone them myself. That way I have the bones to make a nice broth with for another use. And they’re more budget friendly than the boneless thighs.

 

 

Is adding spinach to salad healthier than lettuce?

 

Spinach is often a healthier option compared to lettuce due to its higher nutrient content. This leafy green is packed with vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron. Its dark, leafy greens provide a more robust flavor and texture to salads. It has more fiber than lettuce making it a popular choice for those looking to increase their fiber intake. Finally, spinach is lower in calories and carbohydrates.

 

What are the ingredients for strawberry chicken spinach salad?

 

This salad is very much like a regular spinach salad. There’s spinach, of course. I’ve opted for baby spinach because I like the tender texture of the leaves. There are red onions in this salad to add a nice crisp bite in not only texture and flavor. I love red onions in salads. To make them less pungent, you can soak them in water after slicing them.

 

 

I’ve added more crunch with some chopped pecans. They add a maple flavor to this salad that rounds out the flavors of the spinach and the onion. Pecans also have their own health benefits with calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Of course, I must have cheese on my salads, so I opted for a pungent blue. Because the blue cheese and the strawberries offset each other, making this salad have all the flavor notes you’re looking for. Sweet, crunchy, briny, spicy, all topped with a strawberry dressing. Your mouth will not be disappointed with this salad.

 

How do you grill chicken without drying it out?

 

Grilling chicken can be tricky. And grilling chicken breast is the trickiest of them all. It’s easy to end up with dry, flavorless meat which is never appealing in a salad. You can prevent this by marinating the chicken. I personally like to marinate mine in a fat free Italian. Sometimes the dressing is very strong and overpowers the salad so I cut it with a little water.

 

 

This not only adds flavor but also help keep the meat juicy during the grilling process. If you want your chicken really tender, try marinating in some milk. The proteins in the milk will break down the protein in the chicken making it more tender and delicious.

 

When grilling the chicken, make sure to preheat the grill and brush the grates with oil to prevent it from sticking. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat making sure to flip it only once to ensure even cooking. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Remove the chicken from the grill when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.

 

 

Yes, the internal temperature of chicken will end up being 165 F due to carry over cooking time. If you remove the chicken when it’s 165 F and let it rest, it will be over cooked. Remove it at 160 F then tent it with foil and let it rest. This ensures your chicken will be perfectly cooked as well as moist and delicious. I do this with all my meat because if you don’t let the meat rest, the juices will just flow out when you cut into it.

 

What is the basic salad dressing formula?

 

I always struggle with making salad dressing from scratch. It just never turns out the way I really want it to taste. So, I try to stick to the basic formula for a good salad dressing. There’s an acid, an oil, and some seasoning. The acid can be anything from a citrus juice to a range of vinegars. There’s balsamic, rice wine, and even champagne vinegar.

 

 

For this dressing, it all starts with strawberry puree. And whole cup of strawberry puree to be exact. This would be the seasoning part of the dressing and might be considered the “oil” because it’s ingredient that keeps the dressing emulsified. Because all vinaigrettes have Dijon in my head, I’ve added some to this dressing. Just enough to balance out the sweetness of the strawberry puree.

 

With any dressing, there’s the acidic element. For this dressing, it’s a honey ginger white balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have any of this on hand, you can add some honey and a little grated ginger to some white balsamic vinegar. I have a store in town that has delicious vinegar blends that make delicious dressings. I also added a little red wine vinegar to balance out the sweetness of the balsamic and the strawberries. Finally, there’s salt and pepper to taste. Because you always need to salt and pepper your dressing.

 

 

What does this strawberry chicken spinach salad taste like?

 

Summer on a plate! Or in a bowl as the case may be. The spinach is crisp and full of flavor. The red onions have a nice bite and sharpness that complements the sweetness of the strawberries. Blue cheese brings a pungent flavor to this salad that pairs well with the onions, pecans, and strawberries. The added crunch and sweetness of the pecans is a pleasant surprise you’re not expecting.

 

Then there’s the dressing. It’s thick and rich with strawberry flavor. There’s the sweet and tart honey ginger white balsamic vinegar. The rich addition of the Dijon cuts some of the sweetness of the strawberries. It’s the perfect topping for this strawberry spinach salad topped with grilled chicken.