This Strawberry Chicken Salad makes the perfect summer meal for lunch or dinner. Luscious strawberries are combined with cooked chicken, delicious blue cheese, sweet caramelized sunflower seeds, heads of lettuce, onion, and tangy balsamic vinaigrette to finish it off.
Do you love summer strawberries and want more? Then try our Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes or our Strawberry Jalapeno Brie. Or want another great salad with fruit, then try our classic Waldorf Salad Recipe.
This recipe works great for a picnic. Pack up a basket along with some of our other ideas from 50 Picnic Basket Essentials and you are on your way for a great afternoon out.
Blue cheese works great with chicken as it does with beef, but you may not enjoy it. If that is the case, some good substitutes are mozzarella, gouda, provolone, and asiago. But if your favorite cheese still isn’t on this list, then experiment with a small bit of cheese and see how you like it.
Helpful Items for This Recipe
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Ceramic Large Serving Bowls- Set of 2
What Ingredients are in Strawberry Chicken Salad?
Simple ingredients that you will find in any grocery store.
Ingredients
Strawberries, sliced– Get big juicy red strawberries if you can; their sweet flavor balances so nicely with all the other ingredients.
Red leaf and green leaf lettuce heads, chopped – This combination of lettuce adds color and interest to the salad, but you can stick with just green leaf if you like.
Chicken breast – One chicken breast can go a long way in a salad like this, making it quite economical.
Olive oil – You just need a small amount to cook and brown up the chicken with.
Sunflower seeds – These, once they are toasted and caramelized with the honey, make for a sweet treat in this salad.
Honey – Make sure you are getting pure honey and nothing that is cut with corn syrup.
Blue cheese, crumbled – I have given some alternatives to blue cheese above if this is not something you enjoy.
Small red onion – I love the color of red onion in this salad, but if you find it too pungent, you can use green onions or sweet onions.
Sea salt and freshly ground Pepper – Standard seasonings, but they are a must.
Salad Dressing
Balsamic vinegar – I love using this vinegar in a salad dressing as it gives a lovely, sweet tang.
Dijon mustard – This mustard adds a bit of creaminess and wonderful flavor to the dressing.
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper – Again, standard seasoning, but really a must; you can use sea salt or table salt here.
Olive oil – This finishes off the dressing, making a gorgeous addition to the salad.
How to Make Strawberry Chicken Salad
Cut chicken breast into two thinner filets for an even cooking. Then, add 1 tbsp of olive oil into a heavy-bottom or cast iron skillet to cook the chicken. Cook chicken filets for 3-4 minutes each side until the chicken is well done. Avoid overcooking it for juicy chicken. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and set it aside.
Heat a heavy bottom skillet to medium heat, then incorporate sunflower seeds. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to roast them. When they begin to get brownish, add 1 tbsp of honey and stir until it caramelizes. This should take only one minute. Stir sunflower seeds continuously while roasting to prevent burning. This ensures an even toasting of the seeds for added crunch.
Remove it from heat and place caramelized seeds into a plastic container, as they will stick to any surface. Spread them if possible. As caramelized seeds cool down, they will harden. Let them set entirely before crushing them.
To make the salad dressing, mix the ingredients together.
Salad assembly. First, add chopped lettuce to the bottom of a large salad bowl. Incorporate sliced red onion, sliced chicken, sliced strawberries, crushed caramelized seeds, and blue cheese. Finally, pour the salad dressing just before serving.
Recipe Pro Tips!
Can I use Nuts Instead of Sunflower seeds in the salad?
Yes, you can use pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc., instead of the sunflower seeds.
More Tips
- If you’d like an even sweeter dressing, try adding ½-1 tbsp of pure honey to the dressing mixture as well.
- Using a heavy-bottom or cast iron skillet adds a nice sear to the chicken. Maintain medium heat for a perfectly cooked and flavorful result.
- Caramelize the seeds near serving the salad, as within a couple of hours, they begin to lose their crunchiness.
- Pour the salad dressing just before serving to keep the lettuce crisp and maintain the lovely texture of the ingredients.
Want More Delicious Dinner Salads?
I love a great dinner salad or lunch salad, for that matter. For me, having the cheese, fruit, crunch, and protein says it all. Here are some of our favorite large salads that make a meal to themselves.
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries sliced
- 1 red leaf lettuce head chopped
- 1 green leaf lettuce head chopped
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tbsp pure honey
- 6 oz blue cheese crumbled
- 1 small red onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Salad Dressing
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast into two thinner filets for an even cooking. Then, add 1 tbsp of olive oil into a heavy-bottom or cast iron skillet to cook the chicken. Cook chicken filets for 3-4 minutes each side until the chicken is well done. Avoid overcooking it for juicy chicken. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces and set it aside.
- Heat a heavy bottom skillet to medium heat, then incorporate sunflower seeds. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to roast them. When they begin to get brownish, add 1 tbsp of honey and stir until it caramelizes. This should take only one minute. Stir sunflower seeds continuously while roasting to prevent burning. This ensures an even toasting of the seeds for added crunch.
- Remove it from heat and place caramelized seeds into a plastic container, as they will stick to any surface. Spread them if possible. As caramelized seeds cool down, they will harden. Let them set entirely before crushing them.
- To make the salad dressing, you just need to mix ingredients together.
- Salad assembly. First, add chopped lettuce to the bottom of a large salad bowl. Incorporate sliced red onion, sliced chicken, sliced strawberries, crushed caramelized seeds, and blue cheese. Finally, pour the salad dressing just before serving.
Comments & Reviews
Cheryl says
Such an awesome summer meal! Definitely will make this again
Tara Noland says
I hear you, we are having it again tomorrow. Thanks!