Chicken Fruit salad-(copycat recipe) Worldly Treat

Grilled chicken fruit salad packed with nutritious seasonal fruits and nuts. This colorful salad makes for an ideal lunch or dinner.

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Juicy chicken breast, fruits, nuts, salty blue cheese, and fresh greens topped with homemade vinaigrette dressing bring this crunchy summer salad with fruit to a whole new level.

Why you should make this recipe

Healthy: need I say more about how healthy this salad bowl with chicken is? It’s packed with healthy ingredients. It has all the green lights on your one a day, and it’s a balanced meal.

Easy: you can literally make this chicken and salad recipe while multitasking. It’s as easy as chopping up your veggies, and whisking up the vinaigrette while grilling the chicken in the oven.

Versatile: so versatile for any course meal. Whether you are making this recipe for a chicken dinner salad, a side dish, or as an appetizer, spruce it up to your liking.

Less time: this grilled chicken salad recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes when you prepare the ingredients simultaneously. Heck, chop the veggies ahead of time, mix the vinaigrette an hour before, and focus on grilling the chicken once you are almost ready to serve.

Ingredients Breakdown

Here are quick ingredients notes before you dive in to make this summer salad with chicken. You’ll need:

Chicken: I made a crispy chicken in the oven to top with my salad. If you are short on time, grab a box of rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store, and use the breast instead.

Lettuce: I love the crunch of romaine lettuce especially when you toss the lettuce head in a white vinegar-water bath. Other greens work just as good.

Fruits: strawberries, apples, blueberries, and cranberries were my fruit of choice. Try other fruits mentioned below to see what you fancy.

Blue cheese: blue cheese adds such a piquant flavor. But you can use other soft cheeses or shaved Parmesan.

Toasted almonds: I love the extra crunch from the almonds. Feel free to add other nuts of your choosing. See the substitute notes below.

Dressing: I used a red wine vinaigrette dressing for this salad recipe. Feel free to use other chicken salad dressings like avocado-lime ranch. The taste is outstanding.

How to make it

Start by seasoning the chicken and setting it aside to rest for about 30minutes.

Mix the vinaigrette: combine all the ingredients in a mason jar, cover and give it a firm shake. Set aside

Chop the veggies: if you haven’t done this earlier, now is the time to chop up the lettuce, Strawberries, apples, and blueberries.

Preheat the oven

Grill the chicken: heat oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the pan top side down, and cook.

Transfer into the oven for further cooking.

Remove from heat, and allow to rest before slicing.

Assemble the salad: distribute the lettuce over serving bowls. Add the fruits, spaced out all over the salad. Top with toasted almonds, blueberries, strawberries, and cheese.

Just before serving, drizzle the red wine vinaigrette over the salad. Enjoy!

SUBSTITUTES:

Cheese: if you don’t like blue cheese, use feta cheese, goat cheese, or shaved Parmesan

Chicken: you don’t necessarily have to use chicken for this salad. if you are a seafood lover, substitute with seared salmon, shrimps, or scallops. Other options are flank steak, eggs, or grilled cauliflower steaks for vegans.

Lettuce: use other greens like kale, baby spinach, arugula, or a mixed green substitute.

Fruits: other fruits can be used to make this grilled chicken strawberry salad. Fruits like peaches, mango, pineapple, grapes, pear, melons, etc
Nuts: pecan, hazelnut, pepitas, or other nuts or seeds will do just fine.

chicken salad served in a small bowl with chopped chicken breast

VARIATIONS

Here are some other recipe variations to spruce up this chicken and fruit salad.

Chicken Marinade: use your favorite chicken marinade to marinate your chicken.

Add more vegetables: less doesn’t have to be more when it’s a healthy salad, am I right?! Add some red onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, or English cucumbers.

Other animal protein: swap the chicken for shrimps, salmon, halibut, veggie steak, steak, scallops, or pork.

Exotic/other fruits: I am talking papaya, mangoes, melons, kiwi, cherry, orange, mandarins, pomegranate, blueberries, etc.

This recipe is a copycat chick- fil- a market side salad. If you’ve never tasted chick-fil-a salads, this is a good way to start.

fruit salad with chicken served in a big bowl

FAQ

Frequently Asked Question

Can you put strawberries in chicken salad?

Yes. Strawberries are a naturally sweet addition to salads. Even great if you purée it and add it to the salad dressing assuming you are using a vinaigrette.

How to store chicken salad?

Store chicken salads without the salad dressing for longer shelf life. Separating the mushy or wet ingredients like fruits and dressing will make the salad last longer and keep it fresh tasting.

What fruits goes good on a grilled chicken salad?

Berries: Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry
Apple
Pear
Mango
Pomegranate
Kiwi
Watermelon
Orange
Grape
Peach
Tangerine
Cranberry

What can you use a vinaigrette for?

Vinaigrette can be used for salads, as a marinade, or as a base for dips. Top vinaigrette over grilled or cooked vegetables or as an accompaniment for other sauces.

If you are a big fan of strawberries, then you've got to stop everything and check out this Strawberry Rhubarb Ice cream recipe. It's worth the scroll!

This chicken fruit salad checks all the stops for crunch, flavor, and nutrition. I hope it gets all the cheers at your table. Share a bite with us on our social media. If you make this recipe using the hashtag worldlytreat(#worldlytreat), we’d love to join the soirée. Also, don’t forget to pin it for later. Chat soon?

Maureen

PEACE & LOVE