Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese
on May 17, 2021, Updated Jul 05, 2024
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This Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese is perfect for spring and summer! The balsamic marinated chicken pair perfectly with the sweet strawberries, tangy goat cheese and crunchy almonds.
Strawberries are finally looking good enough to buy at the store and they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I absolutely adore berries in the late spring and summer when they’re at their peak and taste the sweetest.
I use them in both sweet and savory recipes. The strawberries in these grilled salmon tacos with strawberry avocado salsa are a delicious way to add a little sweetness to the savory spicy flavor of the tacos. And this blueberry corn feta salad is an unexpected and amazing combination of salty, sweet and smoky flavors. A must try this summer!
This Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese is a knockout flavor pairing and the perfect salad to make for lunch or dinner. The balsamic marinated and grilled chicken taste so good with the sweet strawberries and creamy, tangy goat cheese.
Ingredients For Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- maple syrup
- mixed greens
- goat cheese
- strawberries
- sliced almonds
How to Make Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese
Start by marinating the chicken in the spices, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Once the chicken has marinated grill it until it’s cooked through. Chicken is safe to eat when it’s internal temperature in the thickest part is 165° F.
Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing it. Cutting it immediately after coming off the grill will result in you losing a lot of the juices inside.
While the chicken is resting, add the mixed greens to a large salad bowl. Slice the strawberries and crumble the goat cheese. Add them on top of the greens along with the toasted almonds, and sliced chicken.
The final step is to make the maple balsamic vinaigrette. Combine the vinegar, maple syrup (or honey), dijon, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small jar or measuring glass. Shake or whisk until well combined and then serve on top of or alongside the salad.
Tips for Picking the Best Strawberries
Since strawberries are one of the stars of this chicken salad, it’s important to buy the best tasting ones you can find. Below are the things I look for when picking out fresh strawberries.
- Buy strawberries when they’re in season. As with all produce, it tastes best when it’s in season and at it’s peak of freshness. Buying strawberries in January is not ideal.
- Smell them. They should smell sweet, almost like candy.
- Buy local when possible. Buying local means that they didn’t have to travel very far and that they had more time to ripen and get sweet before they were picked.
- Bigger doesn’t mean it will taste better. Often the smaller strawberries are much sweeter. The larger ones often contain more water making the flavor diluted.
- Strawberries should be bright red. If they have any white or green around the stem area, it means they were picked when they weren’t ripe.
- Check strawberries for soft spots. Soft spots are an indication that the berries are overripe and mushy.
- Pick up the container and look at the bottom. If there are any juices leaking out or the white padded paper on the bottom is stained, that mean the berries are overripe.
More Berry Salad Recipes
- Berry, Chickpea, Feta Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad
- California Cobb Salad
- Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Blueberry Summer Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts and the marinade ingredients in a resealable bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let the chicken marinade for 30-60 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, prep the salad ingredients and make the vinaigrette. Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar with a lid or measuring glass. Shake or whisk the vinaigrette until combined.
- Preheat grill to 400° F. Oil the grates and place the chicken on them. Grill for 6-7 minutes then flip and grill another 5-6 minutes depending on the thickness. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature is 165° F. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing it.
- Add the mixed greens to a large bowl or serving platter. Top the greens with the sliced strawberries and chicken, crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds. Serve the salad topped with the balsamic vinaigrette or on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.