Try this amazing strawberry chicken salad with spinach! It’s loaded with the freshest seasonal ingredients, including sweet strawberries, blueberries, and creamy avocado.
It’s finished with an easy creamy balsamic dressing to tie everything together! This strawberry chicken salad is also meal prep friendly for those busy weeks!
No more boring salads! This strawberry chicken salad is packed with fresh and flavorful ingredients. It’s make-ahead and meal-prep friendly, so it’s always a go-to for us when it gets busy!
Lots of amazing and fresh ingredients here! It’s got tender baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries, avocado, feta cheese, candied pecans, and juicy herbed chicken. To bring everything together, drizzle with a homemade balsamic dressing, which is tangy, lightly sweet, and creamy!
Grilled or pan seared chicken always make a full salad! Try my Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad or BBQ Chicken Salad next!
Jump to:
Why I Love This Recipe
- Fresh ingredients! Lots of fresh seasonal produce here, such us sweet berries and fresh baby spinach!
- Make ahead and meal prep friendly. This strawberry chicken salad stores pretty well for days, making it a great lunch or easy dinner option.
- Customizable. Use your favorite berries, arugula, or even a different protein like steak or marinated grilled shrimp!
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few helpful notes on the ingredients that I use. Feel free to customize anything to your liking, including using your favorite salad dressing.
- Fresh strawberries: Pick ones that smell very sweet. They should also look vibrant red and shiny.
- Fresh blueberries: I love using plump jumbo blueberries. Don’t use frozen.
- Baby spinach: Or your favorite mixed greens or arugula.
- Chicken breasts: The chicken is nicely seasoned with plenty of herbs and garlic powder for amazing flavor. No bland chicken here!
- Feta cheese: Feta is my go-to, but you can also try blue cheese, gorgonzola or goat cheese.
- Sliced red onion: Totally optional! If it’s too strong for you, you can soak the onions in water for a few minutes.
- To make candied pecans, pecan halves, brown sugar, water, and salt.
- Creamy balsamic dressing: It’s very simple! Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, plain Greek yogurt, garlic powder, and seasoning.
As always, the full ingredient list with quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
How to Make Strawberry Chicken Salad
The most important part about making this strawberry chicken spinach salad is using the freshest ingredients, especially the strawberries and blueberries!
Step 1: Pound the chicken to ½ inch thick evenly. Season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a few drizzles of olive oil. Let it sit for 15 minutes on the counter.
Step 2: In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for about 6 minutes per side or until fully cooked through. Let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Step 3: In a skillet, combine the pecan halves, brown sugar, water, and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the pecans in melted sugar for about 2 minutes. Let cool.
Step 4: Make the yogurt balsamic dressing. It’s quick and easy!
Step 5: Arrange a bed of baby spinach, then top with all the salad components, including the sliced chicken and candied pecans (chopped)
Step 6: Drizzle with the prepared dressing…and there you have it! A wonderful strawberry chicken salad!
Tips for Success
- Berries: Make sure you pick up sweet and plump strawberries and blueberries for best results
- Greens: I love using baby spinach (make sure it’s not wilted), but any types of salad greens will work. Or use a blend of spinach and mixed greens.
- Balsamic dressing: It can be made about 3 days in advance.
- Herbed chicken: Letting the seasoned chicken sit while you prep the other ingredients not only adds great flavor, but helps to slightly tenderize it.
- If you prefer not to use candied pecans, raw pecans or any other nuts are totally fine! I really like the sweet crunch.
- Wait until ready to serve to add the avocado and the dressing.
Meal Prep Tips
This is one of my favorite salads to make in advance! Everything holds up really well in containers (although the avocado should be added last). Here are my best tips to prep my strawberry chicken salad in advance!
- Make the balsamic dressing and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Before using, add a touch more of balsamic vinegar to loosen it up.
- Make the candied pecans 3 days ahead and store either at room temperature.
- Cook and slice the chicken as directed.
- When packing your meal containers, arrange all the ingredients in rows in the containers so the salad doesn’t get soggy. The avocado and dressing should be added last.
Recipe FAQs
No. They will be mushy and soggy. Use fresh strawberries, blueberries, and spinach.
Something tangy like my creamy balsamic dressing. Another great option is this bright lemon basil vinaigrette.
I use crumbled feta, but anything with a similar texture, such as goat cheese, gorgonzola, or blue cheese work great too.
Yes, absolutely!
More Meal Prep Friendly Salads
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Meat tenderizer to pound the chicken
Ingredients
Seared chicken
- 3 medium boneless chicken breasts - pounded to ½ inch thick evenly
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Candied pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed - plus more as needed
- 1 cup pecan halves
For the salad
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 4 cups sliced strawberries
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese - or to taste
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onions
- 2 ripe avocados - peeled and sliced
- Creamy Balsamic Dressing - makes about 1 cup
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts with a few drizzles of olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt (about ½ teaspoon per breast), and ground black pepper. Let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes for the flavors absorb. This will also help tenderize the chicken. Meanwhile, prep the rest.
- Cook chicken: Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken for about 6 minutes per side until fully cooked through or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then slice.
- Make the candied pecans: In a small skillet, melt brown sugar with the water over medium heat. Add the pecans plus a pinch of salt. Stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Make the balsamic dressing according to linked recipe directions.
- Assemble: Start with a bed a spinach, then top with the strawberries, blueberries, red onions, and avocado. Top with the sliced chicken, crumbled feta, and candied pecans (chopped).
- Serve: Drizzle with the prepared dressing and give it a quick toss to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
- The chicken can be seasoned overnight, or cooked a few days ahead.
- For even cooking, pound chicken to about 1/2 inch thick evenly using a meat mallet.
- Make sure the spinach or greens are not wilted. It makes a huge difference.
- Use fresh strawberries and blueberries. The strawberries should be bright red and shiny and smell sweet, and the blueberries should be plump.
- Make ahead: The balsamic dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Candied pecans can be made 3 days ahead (refrigeration recommended). The chicken can also be cooked 1-3 days in advance and slightly reheated.
- If making ahead, add the avocado and dressing last.
- Spinach: Try mixed greens, romaine, arugula.
- Berries: Add blackberries or raspberries.
- Chicken: Any proteins works here.
- Candied pecans: Skip the “candied” part and just use toasted pecans.
- Feta cheese: Try goat cheese, herbed feta, gorgonzola, blue cheese.
- Dressing: Use your favorite dressing, whether it’s homemade or store-bought.
Mellen Paine says
Absolutely will be a staple salad around my house from now on
Rebecca says
Absolutely delicious. Have made many times and getting ready to make again. Also of importance to me as presentation. It is very beautiful and appealing.
Kay says
Absolutely delicious and very impressive salad. I always look forward to your recipes and I have to say it is tough to decide which recipe to try first! Thanks for so many great recipes,
Tania says
Aww, thank you so much Kay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!