I always think it’s a little weird when someone posts a “recipe” for a salad. I mean, isn’t a salad just whatever you’re throwing into a bowl? Unless you are giving the recipe for the dressing, I don’t see how you’re actually giving a recipe.

But that’s just me.

And here’s my “recipe” for the yummy salad that I made for Sunday lunch yesterday!

I was so glad that the temps were a little cooler yesterday. And by cooler, I mean that it was only 90 degrees while I was outside grilling chicken!

Yes, that’s a lot of chicken. I grilled enough for today’s salad and for a dinner I will be making later in the week. It’s pretty blonde here. I should’ve taken the picture after it had grilled a bit and was char-licious. It did turn the most beautiful shade of grilled perfection!

I love grilling! It did take me a hot minute to figure out the new grill. Michael and I got each other a grill/smoker combo for Mother’s Day/Father’s Day/Birthdays. We were in need. Our old grill had bitten the dust and our electric smoker had been banished to the dump when it tried to burn down our house (story for another day!). So we’ve been doing a LOT of smoking on the smoker side and a little grilling thrown in every now and then. Michael has been doing most of this because I don’t like the heat. Can’t do it. Won’t do it. Nope.

So yesterday, I went outside to learn how to use the grill. It was pretty straight-forward, thank goodness, so it only took a minute or two. Before long, I was sitting in a patio chair, babysitting these chicken breasts, while the dogs ran around the backyard happily.

After I had finished grilling, I came inside and set the pan with the chicken aside so it could rest before I sliced it.

While that was happening, I put the rest of the salads together.

Grilled Chicken Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

  • Grilled chicken breasts, sliced
  • Baby spinach (6 oz.)
  • Fresh strawberries, put in to pieces (1 pound)
  • Goat cheese, crumbled (4 oz.)
  • Candied pecans
  • Craisins
  • Poppyseed dressing of your choice

Directions:

  • Chicken: I marinated the chicken in Italian dressing, but you can use whatever you like. I made sure the chicken was mostly the same thickness – cutting some pieces in half to make them thinner. Grill for 5-8 minutes per side. Remove from the grill to a pan, sprinkle with kosher salt, and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
  • Salad: In four bowls, place equal amounts of the ingredients. I found the bag pictured with candied pecans and craisins together, but you can buy them separately, if you need to. My “layers” were: spinach, strawberries, goat cheese, pecans & craisins, chicken, and dressing.

Well Duh #1: Of course, you can buy pre-grilled frozen chicken and just thaw in the microwave! No judgement here. I’ve done it plenty of times! But right now, chicken is pretty much the least-expensive protein in the grocery store and grilling it yourself can save a ton of money!

Well Duh #2: If you are making these salads to take for lunch, it won’t be as simple as dumping everything into a bowl and leaving with it. The spinach needs to be in a separate bag. Next bag is the candied pecans and craisins. Third bag is the wet stuff: chicken, strawberries, and goat cheese. And take the dressing in its own container. It sounds like a lot of work, but if you don’t do it this way, you’re going to sit down for lunch to a big bowl of sad-looking, wilted spinach and a bunch of ingredients swimming in the dressing at the bottom of the bowl.

Well Duh #3: I like the dressing pictured above, but you can use whatever brand you like. I just had this one in the pantry. Another yummy option would be a sweet Vidalia onion dressing.

When I say that the tribe loved this, that is such an understatement. Except for that one split second when one of my teens pointed disdainfully and said (in a toddler voice) “Why are there raisins?” Once this person was assured that they were craisins, the salad was devoured. All of my family loved it. It is a very filling salad, so it totally works as a meal. But it’s also delicious!