There’s nothing more refreshing during the summer than a delicious grilled chicken strawberry salad! With fresh strawberries, feta, avocado, pecans, marinated chicken, and homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, this strawberry chicken salad recipe is bursting with flavor in every bite! {Gluten-free}
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The Perfect Chicken Strawberry Salad for Summer
Have you noticed that strawberry salads show up on the menu at local restaurants and fast food chains as soon as the weather starts to heat up?
That’s because tangy balsamic dressing, sweet strawberries, creamy feta or goat cheese, and flavorful chicken are a match made in heaven, which is why I highly recommend you whip up some of this grilled chicken strawberry salad ASAP.
This summer salad is cool and refreshing, too, so it’s the perfect antidote to the hottest days of summer!
If you love fruity salads, then you’ll also love this Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad and Waldorf Salad without Mayo!
Why We Love This Strawberry Chicken Salad with Pecans
- Incredibly Flavorful: There aren’t a ton of ingredients in this chicken spinach strawberry salad, but the ones that make the list are delicious on their own, but even more divine together. The strawberry balsamic vinaigrette definitely brings it all together!
- Quick & Easy: The hardest part about this chicken strawberry salad recipe is marinating and cooking the chicken. The rest is just slicing and prepping your toppings!
- Make Ahead: The best thing about a good salad recipe is that you can prep the ingredients once and enjoy them again and again. During the hot summer months, this is such a relief since it makes such a tasty light meal!
Ingredient Notes
For the grilled chicken:
- Chicken breasts: For juicy grilled chicken, I recommend marinating skinless chicken breasts in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Balsamic vinegar: This rich, flavorful vinegar ties all of the flavors together in this recipe. By using it in the chicken marinade, you can be sure that every bite of chicken is tender and perfectly seasoned.
- Olive oil: A little oil keeps this marinade from being too acidic and compensates for the chicken breast’s leanness.
- Salt and pepper: By seasoning the chicken early on, you’ll be able to highlight the flavors in the meat.
For the salad:
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach is tender and delicate, so it’s the perfect vehicle for fresh berries and balsamic dressing. You can also use romaine, spring mix, arugula or baby kale, if you prefer.
- Strawberries: Choose fresh, juicy strawberries to make sure they don’t get soggy on your salad. For leftovers, I recommend slicing the strawberries right before serving.
- Avocado: Avocado adds a nice creaminess and some healthy fats. If you aren’t a fan of avocado, you can skip it.
- Feta or goat cheese: Each of these cheeses can be wonderful in this salad. Feta is a little saltier and crumblier, while goat cheese is softer, tangier, and kind of melts into the vinaigrette. Both are great options!
- Chopped pecans: This strawberry spinach salad with chicken tastes great with a little nuttiness and crunchiness from pecans.
For the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (makes a full bottle)
- Strawberries: To make this strawberry dressing, you’ll want to start with real strawberries for tons of fruit flavor!
- Olive oil: You need a balanced mixture of oil and vinegar to make the vinaigrette. This is a great way to consume heart-healthy olive oil, too.
- Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar has a rich, deep flavor and dark brown color. Balsamic and strawberry are a classic combination that tastes amazing in this balsamic strawberry chicken salad.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon helps oil and vinegar emulsify quickly, making it a cinch to make your own vinaigrette dressings in no time.
- Honey: Although strawberries add a little sweetness, a little honey really plays up the complex balance of flavors in this dressing and cuts through the tartness.
- Salt: Everything tastes better when properly seasoned, and it just takes a little salt to bring this dressing together.
How to Make Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken – Step-by-Step
- Add chicken to a large resealable bag or bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and toss until chicken is coated. Allow it to marinate for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
- Place chicken on the grill and cook 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through. Cut into thin slices.
- Meanwhile, divide the spinach, chopped pecans, crumbled feta cheese, sliced strawberries, and avocado among four plates or bowls.
- Add all ingredients for the dressing to a blender and blend until smooth (I used a Ninja blender to make it nice and smooth).
- Evenly distribute sliced chicken between each serving.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss to combine (the salad dressing recipe makes a full bottle’s worth, so I used about a quarter of the dressing for this salad recipe).
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- To cut down on prep time, I recommend making up a batch of the dressing at the beginning of the week (I love doing this in my Ninja blender) and storing it in the fridge. It makes a whole bottle’s worth, so it will definitely be enough for more than one salad. I used about a quarter of the dressing for this salad recipe.
- To save even more time, grill up the chicken breasts and slice them up in advance. Store in the fridge so that you can add it to the salad when ready to eat. The grilled chicken should be good in the fridge for up to four days.
- You can also toast the pecans if desired for even more depth of flavor. To do so, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they begin to brown and become aromatic, making sure to toss halfway through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before adding to the salad.
- If you prefer to make this a side salad, skip the chicken and simply combine the spinach, strawberries, feta cheese, pecans, avocado and dressing.
- Another great cheese to use in this recipe is blue cheese! Gorgonzola crumbles are milder and would be a great addition.
- If the dressing tastes too tart, add a little more olive oil or honey.
- Feel free to substitute chicken thighs! Either cut of chicken will work great in this recipe.
- If you don’t want to use a blender, add the vinaigrette ingredients to a large mason jar or bowl and insert an immersion blender. So easy!
Recipe FAQs
Part of the magic of a chicken strawberry salad is the right balance of acidic ingredients with sweet and savory ones. Balsamic vinegar naturally complements strawberries and chicken, but you can absolutely use other vinegars.
White balsamic is a slightly milder substitute. White or red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar would be great, too, because they’re not too overwhelming. You could also use lemon juice, too. I’d skip white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, as they have a much stronger flavor.
That depends on you! This recipe for strawberry salad with chicken does include sliced avocado, which adds a creamy texture that balances the tartness from the berries and vinegar. However, it’s totally optional, but yes, lots of people love this salad with avocado.
Absolutely! You’ll often find strawberry salad recipes that include other fruits, like freshly sliced peaches, pineapple, and blueberries. If you add other fruits, it might help to use a milder vinegar (like white wine vinegar or white balsamic) to let the fruit flavors shine.
Storage Guidelines
If you want to store leftover chicken spinach salad for later, it’s best to keep it dry and store the vinaigrette on the side.
The chicken will stay fresh in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge, and the remaining vinaigrette will last approximately one week.
Serving Suggestions
This grilled chicken strawberry salad is a complete meal in itself! It can be eaten as a main dish or served as a side dish. It’s delicious with some fresh rolls or you can skip the grilled chicken and serve it along with your summer grilled meats!
For a summery meal, try it with:
- Strawberry Mocktail Spritzer
- Pesto Chicken Burgers
- BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Worcestershire Sauce Burgers
Recipe Variations
- Substitute rotisserie chicken: In a rush? Use leftover rotisserie chicken for a super quick grilled chicken and strawberry salad.
- Use blue cheese: For a little flavor twist, replace the goat cheese with blue cheese. Sometimes, I like to add some thinly sliced red onions for a little bite, too.
- Blueberry chicken salad: If you want to try this salad when it’s not strawberry season, try making it with blueberries or raspberries instead. So good!
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Chicken Mango Salad
- Panera Chinese Citrus Cashew Salad
- Nectarine Salad
- Kale Blueberry Salad
- Blueberry Walnut Salad
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Grilled Chicken Spinach Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
For the salad:
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 medium avocado sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese or goats cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
For the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (makes a full bottle)
- 1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add chicken to a large resealable bag or bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and toss until chicken is coated. Allow it to marinate for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
- Place chicken on the grill and cook 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through. Cut into thin slices.
- Meanwhile, divide the spinach, chopped pecans, crumbled feta cheese, sliced strawberries, and avocado among four plates or bowls.
- Add all ingredients for the dressing to a blender and blend until smooth (I used a Ninja blender to make it nice and smooth).
- Evenly distribute sliced chicken between each serving.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss to combine (the salad dressing recipe makes a full bottle's worth so I used about a quarter of the dressing for this salad recipe).
Notes
- *The salad dressing recipe makes a full bottle’s worth. I used about a quarter of the dressing for this salad recipe. Leftover salad dressing can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
- You can also toast the pecans if desired for even more depth of flavor. To do so, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until they begin to brown and become aromatic, making sure to toss halfway through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before adding to the salad.
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Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in June 2018 and was updated June 2023 to include more helpful tips and photos.
Grilled chicken is my favorite way to eat chicken. I’m in love with the dressing which makes this dish best ever chicken salad. I’m definitely giving that dressing a try, it looks great!
Thanks Jyothi! Hope you enjoy the recipe :)
Your strawberry balsamic vinaigrette sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Courtney! It’s one of my favourite homemade summer dressings!
This is definitely my kind of salad! I love the combo of grilled chicken, avocado and strawberries. Can’t wait to recreate it!
Oh I totally agree Kim — one of my favourite flavour combos of all times! Hope you enjoy the salad if you have a chance to try it out!
I need this salad in my life, stat!!!
I agree Tina! Everyone needs this salad in their life!
This is the perfect salad for summer! So fresh and delicious!
Thanks Zainab! This salad has been on the weekly menu rotation…so good!
This is a staple taste of summer! It is one of my most favorite salads!
That’s a great salad I would eat every day with pleasure! Lovely dressing, too.