This Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken is so tasty and refreshing for a hot day. It’s simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious!
Ripe juicy strawberries, smoky grilled chicken, a little crunch from the pecans, and the healthy spinach. Then the Poppy Seed Dressing brings this whole Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken together.
My family loves this Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken, it’s filling without being heavy.
Personally I would love this salad even without the chicken, but this smoky grilled chicken really takes it to new level of yumminess. If you don’t have time for that you could also pick up a rotisserie chicken and use that for a super quick throw together dinner or lunch.
The strawberries are obviously delicious, but those hidden little blueberries add a little surprise you’re not expecting, don’t leave them out. Just like that little bit of red onion. You wouldn’t expect that to fit in, but it’s does so perfectly.
It is really complex and truly genius how well each and every ingredient compliments the other, like a symphony of flavors.
Normally I order this when we go to one of our favorite local restaurants, Schottzies Bar and Grill, the one thing I forgot to do was candy the pecans. I was going by memory because it was during the shut down.
The next time we have this salad, I will definitely be remembering the pecans, just to add that little extra sweetness. I was mad at myself for forgetting them; but even without, it’s still my favorite salad.
Actually, a little fun fact: Schottzie’s Bar and Grill was featured on “Bizarre Foods America with Andrew Zimmern“, not for this salad, but for their Fried Brain Sandwich. Yes folks it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Brain sandwiches are an old time St. Louis tradition. And believe it or not, Schottzie’s is not the only place in town that sells brain sandwiches. The local River City Casino has a gourmet fried brain sandwich as well, just in case you ever in town and want an new adventure in the foodie world, come on down.
What can you serve with this Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken?
- Olive Garden Copycat Breadsticks would be good.
- If you’ve got some extra strawberries try this Lava Colada Boozy Shake, we loved it!
Some tips on Strawberries:
Look for bright red plump strawberries, that smell fresh with fresh green tops, not moldy or mushy. Cut off any soft spots or yellowish tips and toss any moldy ones that might be hiding in the bottom. Slice while rinsing under cold water and let drain in colander. Cover and keep in fridge until ready to serve.
Some tips:
- Mix up ingredients for the Poppy Seed Dressing, cover, and store in fridge until ready to serve.
- Clean and slice strawberries ahead of time, cover, and set in fridge. This will save you some time when you are ready to make up your salad.
- Slice onions thin ahead of time and keep in zip top bag.
- Assemble the salad: toss baby spinach and chopped romaine together and arrange in the bottom of the bowl. When ready to serve, place sliced chicken down the middle and scatter strawberries, blueberries, red onions and pecans around the sides and top with craisins and sunflower seeds if desired.
- You can use rotisserie chicken for this. Simply slice off the pieces you would like to use or go with shredded if you prefer.
Make the candied pecans:
- Combine 3/4 cup broken or roughly chopped pecans, 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1/2 Tbsp butter to a small non-stick skillet.
- Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly until sugar starts to melt and caramelize, about 2 – 3 minutes.
If you LOVE this Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken recipe, try this Panzanella Salad with “Everything” Garlic Bread and a zesty Lemon Dijon Dressing OR this summer time favorite Hawaiian Tuna Poke Bowl!
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Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken
This Summer Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken is so tasty and refreshing for a hot day. It’s simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- 6 cups of baby spinach
- 2 cups romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 1/4 red onion (sliced thin)
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons craisins (optional)
- 2 teaspoons sunflower seeds (optional)
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper
Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium high heat, approximately 350°-400°F.
- Pat chicken breast dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Place chicken on grill and grill each side for 4-6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble the salad: toss baby spinach and chopped romaine together and arrange on the bottom on the bowl, when ready to serve place sliced chicken down the middle and scatter strawberries, blueberries, red onions and pecans around the sides and top with craisins and sunflower seeds if desired.
- Add Poppy Seed Dressing
Instructions for Poppy Seed Dressing:
- Mix all ingredients together in a jar, cover and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1 saladAmount Per Serving Calories 1127Total Fat 79gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 64gCholesterol 141mgSodium 1176mgCarbohydrates 55gFiber 9gSugar 40gProtein 53g
Nutrition data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix, and should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate.
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