Chicken Spinach Salad

This Chicken Spinach Salad features seasoned chicken breast, sweet strawberries, juicy oranges, tart blueberries, sliced toasted almonds, and a sprinkle of feta cheese. The salad is dressed in a simple four-ingredient balsamic vinaigrette.

Chicken Spinach Salad

My family loves this salad recipe — it’s fresh, light, nutritious, and so tasty! It’s also a personal favorite since it’s quick and easy to whip together. The homemade dressing comes together in just a few minutes — we add some ingredients to a jar and then shake to combine. All the salad elements come together quickly; just wash and slice the berries and peel the oranges. 

Chicken Spinach Salad variations

• Add some additional berries like blackberries or raspberries (or swap out strawberries or blueberries for a different berry).
• Replace the chicken with grilled and thinly sliced steak.
• We love feta cheese best, and another great option with this salad is goat cheese. The salad is also great without any cheese!
• Add a chopped avocado for a creamy element.
• While I think the balsamic dressing recipe is so good and highly recommend trying it (I promise it’s so easy to make!) you can also use store-bought dressing. Here is an article to guide you through choosing the best balsamic dressings to purchase.

Recipe tips

• Dressing can easily be adjusted to personal preference, so taste the dressing and adapt as needed. You may want to add a bit more honey if you like things sweeter or a little more Dijon mustard for more tang.
• Add dressing to personal preference. You may not want to use all the dressing on the salad, so you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week and use it on other salads.
• Toast the almonds if desired, by placing the almonds in a single layer in a heavy skillet (you don’t need to add anything else) and stir them around on medium-low heat. It only takes about 2-3 minutes (sometimes less depending on how much heat they are getting) until they are toasted and smell quite fragrant. Make sure you are stirring them around and watching constantly so they don’t have a chance to burn! Alternatively, you could also candy the almonds; instructions for doing that can be found in this Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad.

Preparing the chicken

I typically cook chicken breasts in a grill pan for this Chicken Spinach Salad, but there are a few different options for preparing the chicken. Pick what’s easiest for you.

• Quickest option – rotisserie chicken: Get a fresh and hot rotisserie chicken at the store and chop it up for this salad. Or for even quicker prep time, see if your grocery store deli has rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded.
• Leftover chicken: If you’re already making chicken during the week, make some extra and save it for this salad! I’d recommend making a double batch of this Grilled Chicken Marinade; it’s our favorite.
• Fresh grilled chicken: If you’re fixing chicken fresh for this salad, I recommend drizzling olive oil and adding a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Grill until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
• Fresh sautéed chicken: Halve thick chicken breasts and drizzle olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Cook in a hot skillet (or grill pan) for about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).

Chicken Spinach Salad storage

Due to all the juicy ingredients, Chicken Spinach Salad doesn’t sit or store well after it’s made. Once assembled, the salad needs to be eaten soon after; otherwise, the balsamic dressing wilts the greens, and the almonds soften.

More Salad Recipes

• Blackberry Salad with a homemade creamy poppy seed dressing
• Mandarin Orange Salad with a citrus vinaigrette
• Greek Pasta Salad with a Greek-inspired vinaigrette
• Italian Chopped Salad California Pizza Kitchen copycat recipe
• Corn Salad with a lime vinaigrette

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5 from 11 votes

Chicken Spinach Salad

By Chelsea Lords

This Chicken Spinach Salad is topped with seasoned chicken breast, sweet strawberries, juicy oranges, tart blueberries, sliced toasted almonds, and a sprinkle of feta cheese. The salad is dressed in a simple four-ingredient balsamic vinaigrette.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 large (8.5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breast (plus olive oil, salt, pepper, and seasoning blend such as Mrs. Dash chicken grilling blends seasoning) (See Note 1)
• ▢ 4 cups baby spinach
• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• ▢ 1/2 cup clementine or mandarin oranges (~1 clementine)
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons feta cheese
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds (See Note 2)
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Dressing

• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 teaspoons honey

Instructions 

• PREP: Prepare the fruit by washing and drying. (If any ingredients are still wet, the dressing won't adhere very well.) Remove strawberry stems and thinly slice. Peel clementine oranges. If desired, remove large stems on the spinach (I also tear the spinach leaves if they are large).
• CHICKEN: (See Note 1) Remove fat from chicken and slice the breast in half width-wise. Dab chicken with paper towels to dry. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of the chicken pieces and then generously sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and chicken grilling blends. Drizzle 2-3 teaspoons olive oil over a large pan or grill pan.
• CHICKEN CONT.: Preheat the skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 4-5 minutes per side, flipping once at the halfway mark. If the chicken is browning too quickly, slightly reduce the heat. Once the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear or it registers 165 degrees F), remove from heat and cover with foil. Let slightly cool for 5-10 minutes and then thinly slice or chop.
• DRESSING: Combine all of the dressing ingredients (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add some salt to taste (I use 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Close and shake until well combined.
• SALAD ASSEMBLY: Add spinach to a large bowl. Toss with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Then add in the strawberries, blueberries, and oranges. Add in the slightly cooled chopped chicken. Add almonds and feta cheese. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately.
• STORAGE: This salad doesn't sit well with the dressing, so only dress what will be enjoyed same day. Store any leftover salad and dressing separately. Almonds and cheese should also be stored separately.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Chicken: I fix chicken breasts in a grill pan for this Chicken Spinach Salad, but there are a few different options for preparing the chicken, so pick what’s easiest for you:

• Quickest option – rotisserie chicken: Get a fresh and hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and chop it up for this salad. Or for an even quicker prep time, see if your grocery store offers rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded.
• Leftover chicken: If you’re already making chicken during the week, make some extra and save it for this salad! I’d recommend making a double batch of this Grilled Chicken Marinade; it’s our favorite.
• Fresh grilled chicken: If fixing chicken fresh for this salad, I recommend drizzling olive oil and adding a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Grill until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
• Fresh sautéed chicken: Halve thick chicken breasts and drizzle olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Cook in a hot skillet (or grill pan) for about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).

Note 2: Toast the almonds, if desired, by placing the almonds in a single layer in a dry, heavy skillet (you don’t need to add oil) and stir them around on medium-low heat. It only takes about 2-3 minutes (sometimes less depending on how much heat they are getting) until they are toasted and smell quite fragrant. Just make sure you are stirring them around and watching constantly so they don’t have a chance to burn! 

Nutrition

Serving: 2servings | Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 3016mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 44482IU | Vitamin C: 202mg | Calcium: 626mg | Iron: 14mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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