When the temperatures rise, few things hit the spot like a grilled chicken strawberry salad! Loaded with sweet strawberries, tangy feta cheese, avocado, crunchy pecans, marinated chicken, and homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, this summertime favorite is bursting with flavor, protein, healthy fats, and fiber in every bite. Perfect for a light lunch or a warm-weather celebration! {Gluten-free}
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The Perfect Chicken Strawberry Salad for Summer
If you find yourself craving the strawberry salads from your local cafe, you can put quite a dent in your wallet paying $15-20 each. Plus, those restaurant versions are often higher in sugar, fat and sodium to make them extra enticing!
You can make the very best, freshest strawberry spinach salad at home with just a few basics. It’s equally delicious, yet lighter, and more affordable, so you can eat it all summer long!
Featured Comment
“This is a staple taste of summer! It is one of my most favorite salads!” – Denise
If you love fruity salads, then you’ll also love this Strawberry and Blueberry Salad, Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad and Waldorf Salad without Mayo!
Why We Love This Chicken Strawberry Salad Recipe
- Packed with bright, refreshing flavors (totally crave-worthy!)
- Good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats
- Ready to serve as soon as the chicken is grilled!
- Great meal prep option for those hot summer months
- Perfect mix of sweet and savory notes
Ingredient Notes
For the grilled chicken:
- Chicken breasts: For juicy grilled chicken, marinate the skinless chicken breasts in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and black pepper. Chicken thighs can work well, too!
For the salad:
- Baby spinach: Tender baby spinach is mild and delicate, making it the perfect vehicle for fresh berries and balsamic dressing. Feel free to use your favorite salad greens, like romaine lettuce, spring mix, arugula or baby kale, if you prefer.
- Fresh strawberries: Choose fresh, juicy strawberries to make sure they don’t get soggy on your salad.
- Avocado: Avocado adds a nice creamy texture 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 creamy goat cheese is softer, tangier, and kind of melts into the vinaigrette. Both are great options!
- Chopped pecans: If you need a nut free option, you can either skip the pecans entirely or swap sunflower seeds or pepitas.
For the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette:
This homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is made with fresh strawberries, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a few other simple ingredients.
One batch makes a whole bottle, so you can save the leftovers for extra salads throughout the week. If the dressing tastes too tart, add a little more olive oil or honey.
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).
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- Toast the pecans for more 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 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!
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing to keep it nice and juicy.
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.
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.
Meal Prep Tips
- Make 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.
- 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.
- Slice the fresh strawberries right before serving to keep them plump and juicy.
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.
How to Serve Strawberry Chicken Salad
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 freshly sliced French bread to make it even more filling.
For a summery side dish, skip the grilled chicken and serve it along with your favorite grilled meats!
For an extra special summery meal, serve it with my Strawberry Mocktail Spritzer and follow up with this Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
More Delicious Summer 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 Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
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.
- If you prefer to make this a side salad, skip the chicken and simply combine the spinach, strawberries, feta cheese, pecans, avocado and dressing.
Recipe Variations
-
- Substitute rotisserie chicken: In a rush? Use leftover rotisserie chicken for a super quick salad.
- To make nut-free: Either skip the pecans entirely or swap sunflower seeds or pepitas.
- Add some bite: Add thinly sliced red onion for an extra savory note.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in June 2018 and was updated June 2023 to include more helpful tips and photos. The text, formatting were updated again in June 2025.
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!
This is a great salad I would eat every day with pleasure! Lovely dressing, too.