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Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad is loaded with fresh strawberries, juicy chicken, creamy goat cheese and topped with a balsamic dressing. A handful of pecans add crunch to the salad making it tastier than restaurant-style salads and perfect for a healthy and fresh dinner. This incredible spinach chicken salad with strawberries is ideal for meal prep so you can enjoy a flavorful salad for lunch all week.
If you love the Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad at Longhorn, Slim Chicken or Wendy’s, you will adore this simple homemade Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad.
If you love strawberries, try my Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta or Strawberry Nutella French Toast.
Why You’ll Love Spinach Chicken Salad with Strawberries
- It’s an explosion of textures. Creamy goat cheese, tender chicken, juicy strawberries and crunchy pecans make this salad exciting.
- It tastes like summer. Fresh strawberries and bright green spinach celebrate the flavors of summer.
- It’s perfect for meal prep. Prep this salad early in the week for a simple lunch option all week long.
Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Salad Ingredients
For the chicken
- Chicken: choose skinless chicken breasts and slice them horizontally.
- Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar is sweet and mild.
- Olive Oil: or use your favorite light, neutral-flavored oil.
- Seasoning: a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and black pepper are used to season the chicken marinade.
For the balsamic dressing
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Honey: select raw, local honey whenever possible.
- Dijon Mustard: you can use either smooth or grainy Dijon.
- Salt and Black pepper: to taste.
For the salad
- Greens: a blend of spinach & arugula is flavorful and peppery.
- Strawberries: cut fresh strawberries in half.
- Cucumber: thinly slice a Persian cucumber.
- Onion: thinly slice a medium red onion. Substitute a yellow onion if desired.
- Goat Cheese: crumbled goat cheese adds a creamy tang. Substitute feta or your favorite cheese if desired.
- Pecan Halves: toast pecan halves in a dry skillet for a few minutes for extra crunch.
How To Make Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad
- Marinate the chicken. Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel. To a wide bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate; balsamic vinegar, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breast and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set it aside.
- Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for dressing; balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.
- Grill the chicken. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill; add the chicken breast and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Make the salad. Meanwhile, prepare the salad ingredients and mix them in a large bowl. Add the cooked chicken to the salad and drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and toss. Serve the salad immediately.
Tips To Make Strawberry Balsamic Salad
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before adding to the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Slice the grilled chicken to make it easier to eat.
- The chicken can be served hot or cold.
- Halve or slice the strawberries.
- Red onion has a sweet, mild flavor, but you can use yellow onion.
- Not a fan of goat cheese? Use feta cheese or your favorite shredded cheese.
- For even more crunch, roast the pecans in a dry skillet before adding them to the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use chicken breasts because they are lean and flavorful. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are tasty and incredibly juicy, making ta greatreat greatest you don’t want to use chicken breasts.
I love the flavor and look of grilled chicken, but you can pan-sear if you don’t have an outdoor grill or grill pan. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking the chicken.
Sure! I love the simplicity of this dressing, but a store-bought poppy seed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette would be delicious alternatives.
For easy meal prep, store the cooked chicken, salad and dressing in separate containers and combine just before serving. This salad can be stored for up to 3 days.
The cooked chicken breast can be frozen for up to 3 months, but we do not recommend freezing the salad.
The beauty of the Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad is that it truly is a meal in itself. If you want to round out the meal a bit more, serve it with Low Carb Keto Garlic Bread or Homemade Roasted Garlic Bread. And, since you ate a healthy dinner, you may feel like splurging on a little dessert. Try my Mini Lemon Cheesecake, Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes or Mini Chocolate Cheesecake.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Chicken Avocado Salad
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Stuffed Avocado Chicken Salad
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Baked Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Grilled chicken strawberry salad
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the salad
- 4 cups greens, spinach & arugula
- 1 ½ cups strawberries, halved
- ½ cup Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ⅓ cup pecan halves
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel.
- To a wide bowl whisk the ingredients to marinate; balsamic vinegar, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breast and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set it aside.
- In a small bowl whisk the ingredients for dressing; balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.
- Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill; add the chicken breast and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the salad ingredients and mix them in a large bowl. Add the cooked chicken to the salad and drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad and toss.
- Serve the salad immediately.
Notes
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before adding to the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Slice the grilled chicken to make it easier to eat.
- The chicken can be served hot or cold.
- Halve or slice the strawberries.
- Red onion has a sweet, mild flavor but you can use yellow onion.
- Not a fan of goat cheese? Use feta cheese or your favorite shredded cheese.
- For even more crunch, roast the pecans in a dry skillet before adding to the salad.
