A simple & healthy Strawberry Chicken Salad to ring in the end of summer! With sweet strawberries, protein-packed grilled chicken, and superfood greens all tossed in my favorite Almond Butter Balsamic Dressing, you’ll want to make this summer salad recipe again and again!
Give me a salad with strawberries and I am immediately happy.
When these bright, red berries are at their peak, I find it best to enjoy them freshly sliced over a bed of greens. Adding chicken to the mix and tossing it with almond butter balsamic dressing (an FMK original) is definitely going to be a crowd pleaser.
Why You’ll Love This
- Fresh strawberries paired with balsamic, creamy almond butter and salty feta for a flavor explosion
- An easy salad to meal prep for the week
- Add some grains to make a power bowl for a heartier meal
- A celebration of summer flavors!
Salad Ingredients
- organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I’ve found organic chicken has the best flavor and texture.
- olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper – for the marinade
- salad greens – mix your favorite blend
- large strawberries – make sure they’re ripe, but not too ripe. Tip on hulling below!
- crumbled feta crumbled – I love the salty feta paired with sweet berries. Feel free to goat cheese if you prefer.
- crushed walnuts – I went with crushed walnuts here but sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds would work as well.
- balsamic almond butter dressing
- optional toppings – dried blueberries for a chewy addition and hemp hearts for a little extra sprinkle of healthy fats.
How to Hull Strawberries
Hulling strawberries is super quick and easy! You can even do it with a straw! All you have to do is angle a small, sharp knife and cut around the green leafy top of the strawberry, making sure to get into the pale flesh underneath. The hull should pull right out! Simply discard the hull and slice or quarter the strawberries.
Easy Dinner Salad Recipe
This strawberry salad is great to make for a dinner ready in just about 30 minutes. You don’t need much and it’s easy to throw together.
Start by marinating the chicken: whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and pour over chicken breast placed in a shallow dish. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 20-30 minutes to marinate.
While chicken is marinating, prepare the strawberries, plate the greens and make the almond butter dressing.
Then move onto cooking the chicken, either in a grill pan indoors or fire up the grill. Add the marinated chicken to the grill and cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes, before flipping and cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Continue cooking chicken until internal temperature has reached 165ºF. . Remove chicken from pan and place on a tray to rest for 5 minutes then slice chicken breast into about ¼” strips. Check out this post for chicken temperature for more info
Finish off plating the salad with the chicken, feta, crushed walnuts, hemp hearts and dried blueberries. Then drizzle with the almond butter dressing.
Storing Salad
For the best results, I would recommend storing all the components of this healthy chicken salad recipe in separate containers. In other words, prep all the ingredients when you cook the chicken and assemble the salad when you are ready to serve!
The chicken will keep best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
A Few Recipe Tips:
- Don’t like Feta? Sub crumbled goat cheese instead.
- If you don’t have walnuts, pumpkin seeds or any of your favorite nut or seed will work! Pecans and sliced almonds are another favorite!
- Hemp hearts and dried blueberries are there for extra crunch and chewiness in the salad, but feel free to omit them if you don’t have them on hand.
- If you only need to serve 2 people, this strawberry chicken salad can easily be cut in half! Makes a simple and clean weeknight meal, too!
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- Summer Peach Salad with Quinoa and Arugula
- Grilled Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Salad
- Kale Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Balsamic Reduction
- Blackberry Fig Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Rainbow Kale Quinoa Salad with Creamy Ginger Dressing
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
PrintStrawberry Chicken Salad with Almond Butter Dressing
A simple & healthy Strawberry Chicken Salad to enjoy all season long. With sweet strawberries, protein-packed grilled chicken, and superfood greens all tossed in my favorite Almond Butter Balsamic Dressing, you’ll want to make this summer salad recipe again and again!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic boneless, skinless chicken breast, fat trimmed and tenderized.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 5 ounces fresh salad greens
- About 16 large strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 4 ounces feta, crumbled
- ½ cup crushed walnuts
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts (optional)
- Dried blueberries (optional)
- The BEST Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Place chicken breast in shallow bowl or dish; pour dressing mixture over, cover and transfer to the fridge for 20-30 minutes to marinate.
- Grill: Place oiled grill pan or cast-iron skillet on stovetop and heat to medium. (Or use an outdoor grill.) Add marinated chicken, cooking on one side about 4-5 minutes, before flipping and cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Continue cooking chicken until internal temperature has reached 165ºF. Remove chicken from pan and place on a tray to rest for 5 minutes. Slice chicken breast into about ¼” strips.
- To assemble the salad: Place salad greens in a bowl, sliced strawberries, and chicken. Add crumbled feta (about 2 TBSP per dish), crushed walnuts, and hemp hearts and dried blueberries (if using). Serve with my favorite almond butter balsamic dressing.
Notes
Substitute the walnuts with your favorite nut or seed!
Omit the cheese for a vegan and dairy-free friendly recipe.
Nutritional information does not include dressing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 bowls
- Calories: 398
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 490
- Fat: 31
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 22
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 33
- Cholesterol: 95
Keywords: Strawberry Salad, Chicken Strawberry Salad, best salad recipes for dinner
Jessica Moreau says
So yummy love strawberries in my salad!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Aren’t they delish!? One of my favorites too. Thanks so much for your comment and review!