Grilled Chicken Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is topped with delicious grilled chicken, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and drizzled with a honey herb vinaigrette!

Not only is this strawberry spinach salad healthy, it’s loaded with great flavors and textures.  From the bed of fresh baby spinach leave, juicy grilled chicken, crunchy toasted walnuts, creamy blue cheese crumbles, crisp apple slices, crunchy shallots and silky homemade honey herb vinaigrette… each bite will be pure heaven!

I know, I know… it’s halfway through September and here I am posting a salad recipe.  Crazy right?  Bear with me, because this is one salad you will DEFINITELY not mind having year round!

Plus, it’s a great way to capitalize on the “end of strawberry/beginning of apple” season.  I love to eat seasonally whenever I can 🙂

I love how healthy this strawberry spinach salad is… yet because of the grilled chicken, walnuts and blue cheese, it’s actually pretty hearty too!  Speaking of California walnuts, how much do you love their buttery crunch?!  They’re also the champion of plant-based omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid or ALA) among nuts, and are the only nut to provide a significant source of the essential nutrient (2.5 grams per ounce).  Plus, walnuts offer other important components of a healthy diet, like 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per ounce.  Talk about a nutritional powerhouse!

I chose some of my favorite salad ingredients for this strawberry spinach salad, but feel free to switch up some of the other ingredients to one’s you prefer.  I just REALLY love the way all the flavors and textures come together.  Each bite is so full of flavor… it’s a joy to eat!

Putting this salad together is super simple!

Here’s the breakdown:

• Season your chicken breasts (or thighs) and grill about 4-5 minutes per side (or until done)
• While your chicken is cooking, make the vinaigrette and set aside
• Remove chicken from the grill and let it rest (don’t skip this step!  It’s what makes sure you have juicy chicken)
• While chicken is resting, wash spinach leaves and layer on chopped shallots, sliced strawberries, blue cheese crumbles, apple slices.
• Toast your walnuts in a small dry skillet, then add to salad.
• Top with chicken and drizzle with vinaigrette!

Give this strawberry spinach salad with grilled chicken and walnuts a try… your mouth will thank you!

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Grilled Chicken Strawberry Spinach Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is topped with delicious grilled chicken, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and drizzled with a honey herb vinaigrette!

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Servings: 2 -4 servings

Recipe Author The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• FOR THE SALAD:
• Baby spinach washed
• 2 shallots sliced
• 1 apple sliced (choose any variety you'd like, I used Gala)
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1-2 in chicken breasts seasoned to your liking - what I used will be the notes section below
• FOR THE HONEY HERB VINAIGRETTE:
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1-1/2 tsp fresh thyme or about 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp fresh parley minced
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat grill or indoor grill pan (even a regular ol' skillet will work too), over MED heat.
• Season chicken breasts as desired, then place on grill and cook about 4-5 minutes per side (or until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through and golden).
• Set chicken aside to rest.
• While chicken is cooking, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
• While chicken is resting, add walnuts to a small DRY skillet and toast over LOW heat for several minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and slightly toasted.
• Add spinach to a serving bowl, then top with shallots, apples, strawberries, walnuts, and blue cheese.
• Slice (or dice) chicken, and place on top of the salad.
• Drizzle with vinaigrette as desired, and enjoy!

Notes

1. I seasoned my chicken with a sprinkle of salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and all-purpose grill seasoning.

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