This summery chicken and strawberry salad is perfect with juicy grilled chicken, ripe strawberries, spinach, cucumber, feta, and an easy, homemade dressing.

This delicious chicken and strawberry salad post is sponsored by ALDI USA. As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own and I’m proud to partner with brands I love. Thanks for supporting the growth of Miss AK!

Confession – I could eat a salad every single day of my life and not grow tired of it. Honestly, it kind of feels like I do!

The best part is, my meat and potato loving husband feels the exact same way. I think the reason we love salad so much is because the options are ENDLESS. Whatever you’re craving – Mexican, Italian, Burgers, Greek food – you can put your favorite ingredients on a bed of greens and you’ve got a bowl full of texture and flavor. And, you don’t feel sluggish later. If we are craving a good steak ON a salad, we whip up my Ultimate Venison Steak Salad, it’s literally the best of both worlds.

This chicken and strawberry salad is absolutely no exception; it’s like a party in your mouth. It’s a combination of sweet, savory, and tangy. I love making my own salad dressing and it really isn’t hard. You’re going to assemble your marinade (minus the honey) and save the rest for later. You’ll add honey to it when you’re ready to serve. It needs a touch of sweetness for serving as a dressing. I make and store it in a glass jar, so it’s really simple.

There’s something to be said about salad, though. It can get really boring if you don’t make it right. So, let me tell you my secrets.

INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS

For the marinade/dressing: 

Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dijon Mustard

Sea salt

Black pepper

Honey – but only add this to the remaining dressing, not the marinade. See the recipe below.*

For the salad: 

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast 

Mixed Greens

Fresh strawberries

Cucumber

Chickpeas

Chopped Pecans

Crumbled Feta Cheese

NOTE: The toppings for this salad are incredibly versatile. You could add some red onions, switch your cheese up for some gorgonzola or goat cheese, some avocado, use almonds instead of pecans, and you can add whatever vegetables you prefer.

Kitchen Tools:

First, you are going to want a mason jar with a lid to combine all of your marinade ingredients. We love grilling our chicken, but if you do not have a grill, then I would recommend a cast iron skillet or grill pan. To chop your veggies and strawberries, you’ll want a good cutting board and sharp knife. I also love serving our salads up in nice large bowls!

STEP BY STEP

Step 1: In a glass jar with a lid, combine the balsamic, olive oil, Dijon, sea salt, and pepper for the marinade. Shake everything together well. 

Step 2: Place the chicken in a zip-top bag or bowl with a lid. Pour 3 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken and allow it to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Step 3: Add the honey to the remaining marinade and set it in the fridge and save for later, this will be the dressing.  

Step 4: When you’re ready to grill the chicken, preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 450-500F. 

Step 5: Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes per side. The edges should be crispy and the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165F. Remove the cooked chicken from the grill. 

Step 6: Let the chicken rest while you prepare the salad. You can either make one big salad or 4 individual salads. 

Step 7: Add the lettuce to the bowl or bowls. Layer on the strawberries, cucumber, chickpeas, pecans, and feta. Then, slice the chicken against the grain and lay it on top of the salad or salads. 

Step 8: Shake the balsamic dressing well and drizzle it on your salad. Enjoy! 

HOW TO SERVE

The toppings for this salad are endless, but I truly love the simplicity of ingredients in this salad + the major pop of flavor from the marinade and dressing. The grilled chicken is the perfect juicy and tender protein. It is truly the perfect summer salad.

STORING

I love recipes that you can start to prep ahead of time and assemble later. In the summer, we do a lot of grilling. Sometimes, I like to marinate a few types of proteins, like this chicken, and grill them to be eaten later. If you want to meal prep this salad and store it for the week, I would recommend allowing your chicken to cool completely before packaging and storing your dressing in a separate container.

How do you make crave-worthy salads?

The first thing to remember is that you need to have a lot of texture going on. Here we have crunchy cucumbers and pecans, buttery chickpeas, crispy grilled chicken, juicy strawberries and creamy feta cheese. I mean, no one wants to eat a bowlful of soggy spinach, right?

The second thing to note is that salads (like most good dishes) need to have an acidic component. Here, the easy homemade dressing/marinade is packed with balsamic vinegar, which wakes up those taste buds. The strawberries are slightly acidic and majorly sweet so they round out everything perfectly.

OTHER SUMMER FAVORITE RECIPES

If you’re craving summer foods? I’ve got some good ones for you. Make sure you check out my Summer Pasta with Rose and Tomatoes! We also love this Grilled Chicken on the Traeger. For more salad recipes, make sure you check out my Chicken Caprese Salad and my Ultimate Venison Steak Salad. If you have some Venison Backstrap hanging out in your freezer, make sure you check out my Grilled Venison Backstrap recipe.

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