Chicken Strawberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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This Chicken Strawberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is the perfect summer salad. Fresh spring mix, grilled chicken, fresh strawberries, and more all tossed with homemade lemon vinaigrette. This salad is sweet, savory, fresh, and healthy!

Easy and Healthy Strawberry Chicken Salad

Is there anything better than a fresh and healthy summer salad? I don’t think so! And this Strawberry Chicken Salad is the perfect seasonal salad.

It’s packed with healthy and fresh ingredients, then topped off with homemade lemon vinaigrette which is the perfect complement to the variety of flavors you’ll find in this salad. Creamy avocado, sweet strawberries, nutty almond slices, tart dried cranberries, tangy goat cheese…yeah, this is a salad you’re going to want to try!

Salad Ingredients

• Chicken – grilled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper or lemon pepper seasoning is perfect for this Strawberry Chicken Salad.
• Greens – I use baby spring mix but other greens would work as well.
• English Cucumber
• Avocado
• Fresh Strawberries – sliced or quartered.
• Dried Cranberries – sweetened or unsweetened. Either works great!
• Nuts – I like to top the salad off with sliced almonds for that crunch, but walnuts or pecans would be delicious too.
• Goat Cheese – every salad is better with goat cheese. It adds delicious tanginess and texture to the salad.

Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

This is my favorite quick and easy salad dressing, I use it for almost all my homemade salads, including my favorite quinoa salad.

• Olive Oil
• White Vinegar
• Lemon Juice – I recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
• Salt and Pepper – added to taste.

How to Make Strawberry Chicken Salad

• Prep the chicken: Season and grill the chicken, then allow it to cool completely.
• Make the vinaigrette: Combine all of the lemon vinaigrette in a glass jar, top with a lid, and shake to combine.
• Assemble and serve: Toss all of the salad ingredients together, then drizzle with dressing and toss again. Serve immediately.

How to Customize it

The magic of salad is it’s totally customizable! Feel free to play around with your toppings however you like!

• Swap the greens. I love the baby spring mix, but spinach, romaine or even kale would work as well.
• Use another berry. Swap the strawberries out for blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries. All would be delicious.
• Try other cheese. I do love goat cheese, but other types of cheese work great too. Feta, blue cheese, gorgonzola, etc.
• Add other vegetables: Try adding some diced red onion, shredded carrots, chickpeas or green onions.
• Add more protein. Try it with cooked and crumbled bacon or add a boiled egg.
• Make it into a wrap. Wrap a handful of salad up into your favorite tortilla for an even heartier meal.
• Use rotisserie chicken. Grab a rotisserie chicken at the store to have in the fridge all week. No chicken prep is needed!

How to Meal Prep Chicken Strawberry Salad

So, although I don’t recommend fully assembling the salad to store in the fridge, there are a couple of things you can do to meal prep this salad!

1. Prep the chicken. Grill the chicken in advance and store it for 3-4 days in the fridge to be easily added to the salad when you’re ready to eat.
2. Slice the toppings. You can slice both the strawberries and cucumber and keep them in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend dicing the avocado ahead of time because it will brown quickly.
3. Chop the nuts. Whether you’re using almonds, walnuts, or pecans, chopped nuts last forever. Prep them ahead of time so you can easily sprinkle them over the salad when you’re ready.
4. Make the dressing. The lemon vinaigrette can be up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The olive oil will solidify a little, so let the dressing sit at room temp for a few minutes and stir before using.

Packing it to go?

In your lunch container, add everything together except the strawberries and the dressing. Store those in a separate container and add them right before serving for best results.

Storing Leftovers

A dressed salad will last for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. For best results, avoided dressing the whole salad if you are planning to store leftovers, and simply add the dressing to individual portions.

The avocado will brown and the strawberries will produce juices once stored, so if possible, add them right before serving.

More Healthy Lunch Ideas

• I love this easy quinoa salad and I dress it up with chicken
• If you have leftover chicken, try these balsamic chicken wraps. The fresh blackberry sauce is so good!
• If it’s summertime, this refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad is always a go-to.

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