Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad
on Jul 18, 2022, Updated Jul 04, 2024
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This Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad is perfect for summer! Balsamic grilled chicken, grilled peaches, avocado, and feta are the most delicious sweet and savory toppings for this hearty salad. Serve it with the homemade balsamic vinaigrette that doubles as the chicken marinade!
I bought my first peaches of summer last week and even though they weren’t Colorado peaches, they were sweet and delicious. Aside from just eating them, one of my favorite ways to use them is to throw them in a salad.
This Watermelon Peach Panzanella Salad works great as a side dish with grilled chicken, fish, or beef, but when I want a main dish salad I’m obsessed with this Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad.
The chicken is so flavorful and juicy from the balsamic marinade, which also doubles as the vinaigrette for the salad. The peaches are grilled with makes them extra sweet. And if you didn’t already know, peaches, feta, and balsamic vinegar are a wonderful sweet and salty combo.
Ingredients For Chicken and Peach Salad
Butter Lettuce – I love the soft delicate taste and texture for this salad.
Chicken – Chicken breasts or thighs can be used.
Balsamic Vinegar – Sweeter than most vinegars. It’s used in the marinade/vinaigrette. Balsamic vinegar pairs great with peaches.
Maple Syrup – Used to sweeten the marinade/vinaigrette. You can use honey as an alternative.
Dijon Mustard – Acts as an emulsifier for the vinaigrette and adds a tangy flavor.
Olive Oil – Another emulsifier in the vinaigrette. It will also help to tenderize the chicken as it marinates.
Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika – Flavorful dried spices used to enhance the flavor of the chicken. Season the chicken with them before adding the marinade.
Peaches – Look for peaches that have smooth unblemished skin. They shouldn’t have any green on them, but rather be golden yellow with a reddish blush color. If your peaches aren’t ripe, put them in a paper bag and let them ripen on the counter for 2-3 days.
Persian Cucumbers – Smaller and more narrow that regular cucumbers. They’re extra crisp, have very few seeds and you don’t need to peel them.
Avocado – Creamy, mild in flavor, and a good source of healthy fat.
Basil – Fresh basil pairs beautifully with peaches and balsamic vinaigrette.
Feta – Feta is crumbly and holds up well in this salad. I love the contrasting saltiness paired with the sweet peaches.
How To Grill Peaches
You can either halve or quarter the peaches for this salad. It’s best to use ripe, but not overly ripe peaches when grilling or they may fall apart on the grill.
- Cut the ripe peaches in half and remove the pit. Leave the skin on. Cut the halves into quarters if you prefer.
- Preheat your grill to high and brush the flesh of the peaches with olive oil.
- Place the peaches flesh side down on the grill and grill for 2-4 minutes or until they’re lightly caramelized and have nice grill marks. Remove them from the grill and onto a plate to cool before adding them to the salad.
How To Make The Salad
Make the marinade/vinaigrette first. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, dijon, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. Take 3 tablespoons of it and add it to a freezer bag, refrigerate the remaining for the salad.
Add the chicken breasts along with the dried spices, salt and pepper to the freezer bag. Seal it and massage everything into the chicken. Let it marinate for 1-4 hours.
Once the chicken has marinated remove it from the bag and place it on preheated grill grates. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The internal temperature should be 165° F. when they are cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing it.
While the chicken is grilling, add the peaches to the grill. They’ll only need a few minutes to cook. Let them cool before adding them to the salad so the lettuce doesn’t wilt. If you didn’t quarter them before grilling, you’ll want to do that.
For the salad, you can either leave the butter lettuce leaves whole or tear them into more bite sized pieces. Top the lettuce with slices of cucumber, avocado, chicken, peaches, and feta.
Sprinkle on chopped or torn basil leaves and then either top the salad with the vinaigrette or serve it on the side. If you don’t plan to eat all of the salad that day, I suggest serving it on the side.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t like peaches, try grilling plums or another type of stone fruit.
- Use a different type of lettuce. Mixed greens, baby kale, spinach, or Romaine would all work.
- Add grilled corn and tomatoes for extra summer vegetables.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts. Pork chops would also work well if you prefer pork.
Storage and Leftovers
The salad is best the day it is made, but will keep in an airtight container for a couple days assuming you don’t dress it with the balsamic vinaigrette.
More Salad Recipes
Did you make this Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad
Ingredients
Marinade/Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 heads butter lettuce torn or leaves left whole
- 2 peaches halved or quartered
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers sliced
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar or bowl. Shake or whisk until well combined. Add 3 tablespoons to a freezer bag along with the chicken, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder. Season with additional salt and pepper. Seal the bag pressing out the air as you do. Massage the marinade into the chicken and then refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
- Preheat your grill then clean and oil the grates. Remove the chicken from thee marinade and grill for 4-5 minutes then flip the chicken over and grill until the internal temperature is 165° F.
- During the last few minutes of grilling, place the peaches on the grates and grill them until they're caramelized and have grill marks, about 3-4 minutes total. Flip them after 1-2 minutes if quartered.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing it and let the peaches cool before adding them to the salad.
- Arrange the lettuce in a bowl or on a serving platter. Top it with the sliced grilled chicken, peaches, avocado slices, cucumber, feta, and basil. Serve the balsamic vinaigrette on the side or drizzle it on top of the salad.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried this recipe this evening….loved it exactly as it is. We will do it again!
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for trying it out.
I made this. I used iceberg and romain. I didn’t have basil so I used itialian parsley. It was ok. I would do the marinade for chicken again, but I was not crazy about the dressing. If I make again, I would use a different dressing. I loved the recipe but the maple syrup in the dressing was a bit much..