Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken
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A beautiful, flavorful Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken is a vibrant lunch or dinner-worthy bowl, packed with dark leafy greens, juicy berries, crunchy almonds, and creamy goat cheese. We especially love pairing it with an easy homemade strawberry vinaigrette.
Have you ever come back from a trip and just felt an overwhelming desire for fresh, whole foods? This happens to me any time we’re away for more than a couple of days and is exactly the feeling that culminated in this salad. We’d been on a long-ish family road trip, which was so fun, but a week and change of restaurant dinners had taken its toll on my body and soul.
Enter this strawberry spinach salad: it has lots of my favorite building blocks, all combined into one delicious package. Just like in this side salad version, juicy, sweet berries perfectly perk up dark leafy spinach leaves, and a few add-ins are all you need: tender grilled chicken to keep you satisfied for the long haul, nuts for a little crunch, and creamy cheese for the finishing touch.
The real fun of this salad, if you ask me, however, is the light and refreshing homemade strawberry poppy seed dressing. It truly takes just a minute to blitz together and is so beautiful tying all these salad fixings together!
Ingredient Notes
Repurpose Like a Pro
You will most likely have more dressing than you need for just this recipe, which yields 2 meal-sized salads. It keeps well in the fridge, so plan on serving a side spinach salad — keep that one simple with just your favorite nut and favorite berry — tossed with the extra strawberry vinaigrette alongside a different protein later in the week. It’s terrific with grilled steak or pan-seared pork medallions.
How To Make the Best Strawberry Spinach Salad
This is an overview. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the vinaigrette. Combine the strawberries and other dressing ingredients in a blender or small food processor, and blend until smooth. Sample — I like to dip a spinach leaf into the dressing to get a sense of how they taste together — then blend in honey or agave nectar plus more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in poppy seeds by hand.
- Toss together the foundation. Add the spinach, strawberries, cucumber, and red and green onion to a large bowl or two individual bowls. Drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine.
- Finish it off. Top with the almonds, cheese, chicken, and avocado — the items that are likely to get mushy or lost at the bottom of the bowl. Add more dressing to taste and dig in.
Make It Work for the Whole Family
If planning this salad for a family dinner, use more chicken and berries as needed, and try serving it “deconstructed.” Set out kids’ plates first, and as you gather and prep the ingredients, place a few spinach leaves, chicken pieces, berries, etc. separately on each plate. This can work well for kids who are suspicious when lots of different foods are mixed together, but might be willing to try individual items separately, and it saves the cook the hassle of picking out individual items after assembling the main family meal.
Ready to make it?
Rinse those berries and let’s get ready to roll. This is a lunch or dinner that’s going to make you feel as great as it tastes!
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Dressing:
- 1 cup strawberries rinsed and stems removed
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- honey or agave nectar to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons poppy seeds
For the Salads:
- 6-8 cups fresh baby spinach
- 8-10 strawberries sliced
- ½ English cucumber chopped
- ¼ of a small red onion thinly-sliced
- 3 stalks of green onion light green and white parts only, thinly-sliced
- 6-8 ounces grilled chicken shredded or diced
- 1 medium avocado sliced or diced
- ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds walnuts, or pecans
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
Instructions
- To make the dressing, add strawberries, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a small food processor or blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Sample and blitz in honey or agave nectar and more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in poppy seeds, then store in the refrigerator until ready to use.1 cup strawberries, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, honey or agave nectar, 2-3 teaspoons poppy seeds
- To assemble the salads, combine spinach, strawberries, cucumber, red onion, and green onions in a large bowl. Add a small drizzle of dressing, then toss gently to combine.6-8 cups fresh baby spinach, 8-10 strawberries, ½ English cucumber, ¼ of a small red onion, 3 stalks of green onion
- Divide among individual bowls or plates, then top with chicken, avocado, nuts, and goat cheese or feta. Add more dressing to taste and enjoy right away.6-8 ounces grilled chicken, 1 medium avocado, ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds, ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
Notes
- Any extra dressing will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Estimate
Related Recipes
If you enjoy this salad, try my kale salad with apple, berries, and chicken, Greek salmon combo, spinach blackberry salad with balsamic chicken, berry pecan chicken spinach salad, or ultra-quick take on the Jennifer Aniston salad next.
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I just adore this salad – it’s beautiful and especially satisfying as a tasty but nourishing reset when you need it! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.