Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado

This is my “I’m dreaming of spring” salad because it’s fresh, flavorful and full of color.  I was inspired to share this recipe with you this week because I found the most fragrant strawberries at the grocery store this week…a sure shock to my system to see this in Iowa in February!This is a great lunch or dinner recipe because it’s filling, fast and full of vegetables (and fruit!).  Baby spinach, red onions, strawberries, avocado, and cherry tomatoes give us all the freshness we need, with a little Feta cheese because WE ALWAYS NEED CHEESE IN OUR LIVES.  Grilled chicken takes this from a side salad to a dinner salad, and toasted pecans give some added crunch.  This recipe has my most favorite, light white balsamic vinaigrette.  It’s seriously one of the best dressings I’ve ever had because it’s just so fruity tasting!  Perfect for salads with fruit in them, which isn’t weird at all, contrary to what I believed for most of my life.  (See previous rant here.)  Now I’m all about it: if you can get on board with fruit in your salad, you can also make these other delicious recipes!

• Triple Berry Salad with Caramelized Almonds
• Peach Panzanella Salad with Burrata and Bacon
• Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad with Burrata
• Mixed Greens Salad with Blueberries, Apples and Champagne Vinaigrette
• Balsamic Peach Salad with Chicken and Crispy Prosciutto
• Nutty Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad with Cinnamon-Shallot Vinaigrette
• Harvest Apple and Kale Salad with Apple-Cider Vinaigrette

Maybe if we all make this salad with thoughts of spring in our heads, the Universe will hear us?  It’s worth a shot!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 2 to 4 servings 1x

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Description

A fresh, flavorful springtime dinner salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, sweet strawberries and avocado, plus grilled chicken, feta and toasted pecans.  All tossed in a fruity, light white balsamic vinaigrette!

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Ingredients

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DRESSING:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach leaves
• 6 to 8 strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 avocado, peeled, pit removed and sliced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pecans or sliced almonds, toasted

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Instructions

1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
2. Cover the chicken breasts in about 1/3 of the dressing and marinate the chicken breasts for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
3. Preheat a skillet over medium heat or an outdoor grill and cook the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
4. Combine all of the salad ingredients with just enough dressing to lightly coat.  Arrange in serving bowls and top with the sliced chicken.

Notes

Inspiration: Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken on foodiecrush.com

• Category: Salads