Grilled Chicken, Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Grilled Chicken, Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is bursting with summer flavors! This hearty salad is substantial enough to be a main dish and one you will fall in love with!

Oh hey there Monday, back so soon? Why can’t Monday be like Friday and take forever to get here? I hope you guys had a great weekend! We had a pretty low key weekend, but did manage to get out for a walk at Wash Park and a trip to the farmers’ market, which I of course loved. It’s been pretty hot here the past couple weeks and it’s been hard to find the energy to get outside and do things. My dad teases me that I’ve become soft to the heat ever since moving out of Arizona. I guess that’s true, anything over 90 degrees and I’m complaining about it. On the flip side though, I can handle temperatures in the 30’s like a champ!

Another thing I did this weekend was eat way too much dessert, mostly in the form of ice cream. I can’t help myself, that’s why weekends were created, right? So we can loosen up those healthy eating strings and splurge a little. Well, the splurge is over and it’s back to my normal eating habits which during the week involve a lot of salads. Don’t run away just because I said salad! I only make delicious salads because when you eat as many as I do they better darn well taste good!

Today I’m sharing what may possibly be my all time favorite summer salad, Grilled Chicken, Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad! In order for me to make a salad into a full meal it has to have several things happening in it. Protein, texture and a good homemade dressing. This salad hits all of those key points and then some. The idea for this salad started while staring at the huge amount of basil I have growing. I decided that I wanted to make a basil vinaigrette that could also double as a marinade for the grilled chicken. Of course I had to throw some grilled peaches into the mix because I finally got my hands on some of my beloved Colorado ones. Peaches and basil are a great flavor combination if you’ve never had them together.

For crunch there are toasted pecans and for creaminess a little goat cheese. Now put all these flavors together and drizzle the salad with that amazing basil vinaigrette…mind blow! I honestly had a hard time not eating the entire salad in one sitting. Sweet, savory, crunchy, creamy and of course healthy. It was everything you could hope for in a salad meant to be a main dish. Let’s get back on the healthy band wagon and make this Grilled Chicken, Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad so we can have that extra scoop of ice cream next weekend!

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Grilled Chicken, Peach, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

Basil Vinaigrette/Marinade

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Salad

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 peaches, quartered
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• Mixed greens

Instructions

Basil Vinaigrette/Marinade

1. In a blender, blend together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette until smooth.
2. Pour half of the vinaigrette into a freezer bag with the chicken breasts.
3. Pour the other half of the vinaigrette into a jar or airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Salad

1. Let the chicken marinate in the basil vinaigrette for at least 1-2 hours.
2. Heat your grill to medium-high heat and brush or spray the grates with oil.
3. Brush the quartered peaches with a little olive oil.
4. Grill the chicken for approximately 4-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness.
5. While the chicken is grilling also grill the peaches for approximately 2 minutes per side or until they have nice grill marks.
6. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
7. While the chicken rests prepare the rest of the salad.
8. In a large bowl or on a serving platter add the mixed greens and top with crumbled goat cheese, pecans and the grilled peaches.
9. Top with the sliced chicken and serve with the basil vinaigrette.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 392Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 681mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 39g

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