Summer Spinach Chicken Strawberry Salad with Honey Lime Salad Dressing
- May 17, 2023
- Last Updated: August 20, 2023
- 20 Comments
- Recipes
This Spinach Chicken Strawberry Salad is the perfect blend of fruity, sweet, and savory. Filled with strawberry marinated chicken, this summer chicken salad recipe is the perfect way to eat healthy in season, topped with a refreshing, creamy honey lime salad dressing.
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While there are several chicken and strawberry salad recipes out there, I don’t think any of them include strawberry-marinated chicken.
So, this strawberry salad with chicken is a bit different from the rest!
I love a good strawberry summer salad. It’s juicy and refreshing, and a great way to use my favorite summer fruit!
But making the chicken have a strawberry flavor is ingenius. So I am confident when I say this strawberry chicken salad is the best chicken summer salad.
The Best Summer Chicken Salad with Fruit
While I commonly load up on the root veggies and starchier carbs in the winter, in the summer, I’m more about the light summer salads with fruit.
My husband teases me because every time we eat out, I order a summer chicken salad with fruit. And a chicken and strawberry salad certainly makes the cut
Some of my other fruity favorites are:
This is one of the best chicken salads for summer!
Isn’t it weird how the weather can have such an effect on our choices?
But, it’s still about being intuitive and listening to what those hunger cues are telling you.
This spinach chicken strawberry salad is everything you want in the summer.
Delicious, lean protein chicken, a strawberry sauce marinade, fresh, crisp greens, creamy goat cheese, and a cool and creamy honey lime salad dressing.
This grilled chicken and strawberry salad recipe is so flavorful that it’s worth these extra steps.
Like a good watermelon salad, strawberries are a great addition to any salad!
Your summer green salad with strawberries is never going to be the same.
You can probably get 2-4 servings out of this depending on how much you’re wanting to eat.
Ingredients for Summer Strawberry Chicken Salad
- chicken
- salad greens – I used a spinach/arugula blend
- avocado
- goat cheese
- strawberries
For the Dressing
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- lime juice
- honey
- whole milk greek yogurt
HOT TIP
I love baking my chicken because it produces a juicier vs. drier chicken breast!
How To Make Chicken and Strawberry Salad
First, you’ll preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
While the oven is heating, season your chicken. I like to use olive oil, paprika, garlic, and thyme.
Place your chicken in a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over, and bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until white throughout.
While the chicken is baking, you’ll want to make your strawberry marinade.
Then, you’ll assemble everything! Prepare your salad greens, and top with avocado, goat cheese, and diced strawberries.
HOT TIP
When the chicken is done cooking, let it soak in the strawberry marinade for 5-10 minutes before decorating on the salad.
How To Make The Strawberry Marinade
What makes this strawberry chicken salad recipe so unique is the strawberry chicken.
I boiled down strawberries into a thicker sauce and used that to marinate the chicken for this strawberry chicken salad.
So, there are strawberries on the salad but the chicken is also a strawberry flavor.
It may sound intimidating but it’s super easy. It takes about 20 minutes and you do it while the chicken is in the oven.
Here’s what you need:
- Strawberries
- lemon juice
- coconut sugar
- water boiled down.
After a few minutes, your strawberry sauce will start to bubble and thicken.
While this is happening, you can start making your greek yogurt dressing.
Making The Honey Lime Salad Dressing
If you’ve never paired yogurt dressing with a spinach chicken strawberry salad, you’re in for a real treat!
Sometimes, balsamic or my apple maple vinaigrette is all I want for something light and easy.
Now, I’ve branched out, and for good reason because this easy greek yogurt dressing recipe is life.
You want something thicker, or more flavorful, especially for this refreshing and hearty spinach salad with chicken and strawberries.
Making your own creamy salad dressing is SO easy and I’m really into the greek yogurt dressings – nice and thick (and extra protein)!
This refreshing honey lime dressing recipe pairs perfectly with your summer salad with strawberries and goat cheese flavors and textures.
Simply mix olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, honey, and yogurt. Exact measurements are below, but you can cater it to your own taste too!
What To Pair With Chicken Strawberry Salad
I’ve already mentioned that this summer salad with chicken and strawberries is great for a cookout, barbecue, or get-together!
So, what else should you serve with it?
Here are some of my favorites:
FAQ
Yes, you can prep this in advance! Boil down your strawberries and use that “syrup” to coat the chicken for an extra day or two. You can also assemble the greens and salad, and add the avocado and yogurt dressing the day of, before enjoying.
If you are making this a day early before a BBQ or cookout, I would suggest making the yogurt dressing, but don’t pour it on the salad until right before you plan on enjoying, as stated above. The yogurt may make the greens and everything else soggy if it sits too long.
Absolutely! You would follow the same steps otherwise.
You may enjoy some of these other recipes!
- Broccoli Kale Salad with Salmon
- Broccoli and Orzo Salad
- Baked strawberry oatmeal
- Air Fryer Sweetpotato fries
- Tempeh buddha bowl
The Best Chicken Strawberry Salad Recipe
This Summer Strawberry Chicken Salad is the perfect blend of fruity, sweet and savory. Topped with strawberry marinated chicken, it's the perfect way to eat a strawberry summer salad, topped with a cool, refreshing honey lime dressing.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Strawberry Salad
- 16 oz chicken, cut and grilled
- 4-6 cups salad greens
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup goat cheese
- 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
For the Dressing
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk Green Yogurt
For the Strawberry Marinade
- 1 pound strawberries, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Season chicken with olive oil and favorite spices (I used paprika, garlic and thyme). Place chicken in baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, before turning over and baking for 15-20 more minutes, or until cooked throughout.
- While chicken is baking, start your marinade. Mix strawberries, coconut sugar, water and lemon juice is small pot and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, until the sauce begins to thicken (about 10 minutes). Continue simmering until it gets syrupy.
- Lastly, prepare your salad greens. Top with avocado, goat cheese and diced strawberries. Prepare ingredients for your dressing and mix.
- Once chicken is done, cut chicken up and let it soak in strawberry marinade for 5-10 minutes, before decorating on salad.
- Top with dressing and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 598Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 10gSugar: 28gProtein: 39g
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Yummy!!!
Yum this looks good! I’m not usually much of a salad person, but I’ve been on a big salad kick lately. I love strawberries on salad, but it never would have occurred to me to marinated the chicken in a sauce made from strawberries!
This looks amazing! I used to only eat sweet salads, but have been on a savory salad kick for several years. This salad may be the ticket to get me back on the sweet side!
I hope it does, it’s really good! ๐
I love love love love loveee strawberries and winter strawberries have just started popping up at the farmer’s markets here so I’m going to have to try this!
This salad is strawberry heaven ๐
This salad looks delish! I usually like only dried fruit on my salad like dates, craisins, etc. If I do fresh fruit, then it’s always strawberries or pears so I’ll def try this salad.
I hope you like it, Amanda!
that dressing sounds so good! perfect summer recipe!
The dressing is SO good on its own!
Oh my goodness! Between those saucy strawberries and the creamy dressing, this salad is loaded with flavor. I absolutely love fruit on my salads, but I’ve never thought to heat it and make a marinade. That’s so clever! This recipe is perfect for a summer party.
xxMeah
It would thrive at any summer party – thanks Meah! ๐
I’m glad you get to cherish a few more quiet weekends before a busy month of travel! And wow, I have never heard of strawberry marinated chicken but it looks so summery and flavorful. I think you’ve convinced me to sing up for Nicole’s course.
We can go through it together! ๐
This looks so fresh and delicious!! Perfect for summer!
Thanks Emily – it is PERFECT for summer!
Holy wow. This is incredible. Everything from the yogurt dressing to strawberry marinade to adding avocado and GOAT CHEESE. You’re a genius. Can’t wait to dig into this.
I wonder what it would be like if you baked the chicken in the strawberry marinade?
Great question – I wondered that too! I almost tried that as an alternative. You’ll have to let me know if you do!
Looks delicious and will definitely be trying this one out!