Strawberry Chicken Salad
This Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken comes together with juicy strawberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, and feta cheese. Drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, it’s sweet, tangy, and ready in less than 20 minutes!
For more salad recipes, check out our Salmon Avocado Salad, Mango Shrimp Salad, and Asian Sesame Salad.
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Spinach Chicken Strawberry Salad
With endless variations such as our Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad or Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad, chances are you’ve had some version of a strawberry spinach salad. They’re all delicious, but this strawberry chicken salad is our most popular.
For this recipe, we serve sweet strawberries, crunchy almonds, creamy feta, and protein-packed chicken over leafy spinach leaves. Then, we drizzle a homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing on top.
As a result, it’s sweet, savory, and full of texture to satisfy all your cravings. Plus, you can easily mix and match the ingredients to suit your preferences or use up any items you have on hand.
Just like our mandarin salad recipe, this is a great salad to prepare when you need something versatile because you can enjoy it for lunch or dinner. Or, simply omit the chicken, and serve the salad at a potluck or summer BBQ. Use leftover roasted chicken, and the entire dish comes together in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this strawberry chicken salad:
- Chicken: Use grilled sliced chicken breast, roasted chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Baby spinach: Baby spinach is smaller, more tender, and slightly sweeter than regular spinach.
- Fruit: Fresh strawberries and cups of mandarin oranges with the syrup drained add sweet flavor, fiber, and nutrients.
- Red onions: Adds a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a bit of tang.
- Toppings: Feta cheese crumbles, dried cranberries, and toasted sliced almonds add a variety of tastes and textures.
- Dressing: We use a homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. It features a blend of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. However, a store-bought balsamic dressing will also work.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use leftover chicken, roasted chicken, grilled chicken tenders, or rotisserie chicken. Or switch it up with any other leftover protein of choice such as salmon or grilled shrimp.
- Instead of spinach, this salad is also great over romaine lettuce. Chop it up for a crisp and crunchy base.
- Mix it up with other fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
- Not a fan of feta? Try goat cheese, gorgonzola cheese, or blue cheese.
- You can substitute almonds with other nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or even sunflower seeds.
- Love a creamy dressing? Try our Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing. It pairs well with the sweet and savory flavors of this salad.
How to Make Strawberry Salad with Chicken
If not using pre-made chicken, you’ll want to cook the chicken before you begin. Then, let the chicken rest as you prepare the salad. Check out the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Step 1: To a large wide bowl add spinach.
Step 2: Next, layer on sliced strawberries, mandarins, red onions, feta cheese, almonds, and cranberries.
Step 3: Top the salad with sliced chicken.
Step 4: Drizzle balsamic dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Recipe Tips
Make this strawberry spinach salad in no time! Here are a few time-saving tips and shortcuts:
- Buy washed and dried spinach leaves.
- Canned mandarin oranges are great when you don’t have time to peel and clean the fresh ones! Simply drain the syrup and add it to the salad.
- To cut on prep time, buy crumbled feta cheese and not feta in brine.
- Instead of roasting your own almonds, buy almonds that are already roasted.
- Make the balsamic vinaigrette in advance, and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Chop the onions ahead of time, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
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Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Spinach salad with plump juicy strawberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, and feta. Topped with chicken and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
- 1 cup mandarin oranges in syrup, drained
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 12 oz. sliced or cubed cooked chicken, grilled, roasted, or rotisserie
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Instructions
- In a large wide bowl, assemble the salad. Start with the bed of spinach, then add the strawberries, mandarin oranges, red onions, feta, almonds, and cranberries. Top with chicken. Spoon some of the dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately with additional dressing on the side.
Notes
- Substitutions: Fresh mandarin oranges can be used instead of canned. Don’t like feta? Try goat cheese or gorgonzola cheese. Instead of almonds, try pecans or walnuts. See blog post for a full list of substitutions and variations.
- Make Ahead: To make this salad in advance, prep all the ingredients and store them in separate containers. Assemble the salad just before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 606
- Sugar: 22.2 g
- Sodium: 277 mg
- Fat: 43.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.8 g
- Protein: 29.7 g
- Cholesterol: 80.5 mg
Recipe originally published May 2011 but since been updated with additional information and new images.
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
