This Strawberry Basil Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing is a light but satisfying salad that is perfect for any meal!
I like to file this recipe under, “no more boring salads!” I absolutely love salads and I want everyone else to love them too. There are a few key components to a great salad and those include lots of fresh produce, a good protein, homemade dressing and something for a pop of flavor. This salad has all the goodness of summer’s bounty but also these ingredients are pretty easy to find year round. This dressing is super simple to make and this salad is a total crowd pleaser!
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Strawberry Basil Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
The combination of strawberry, basil and balsamic vinegar is one of those trios that is hard to beat! These flavor just work together so well. This salad is really satisfying thanks to protein from the grilled chicken and the addition of avocado. I would never give y’all a salad that would leave wanting another meal!
Strawberry Basil Spinach Salad is a whole complete meal in one bowl just as it should be. I like to enjoy a salad as a whole meal, especially for weeknight dinners when I am wanting something full of nourishment but on the lighter side. This salad hits all those notes!
Easy Homemade Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
I know some people balk at the idea of making your own salad dressing but stay with me here! I used to be the exact same way. Like aren’t there a gazillion salad dressings I can just buy and don’t they taste just as good? Yes, there are so many you can buy but no they don’t taste as good! Mostly because in order for the dressing to be shelf stable, they are usually pasteurized or packed with preservatives and other additives.
Obviously, if you make your own dressing, you get to control exactly what goes in and that almost always makes them better for but also they taste way better too because they are fresh! This dressing is literally four ingredients: olive oil
Grilled Chicken Salad
For this salad, I particularly like grilled chicken. I have made it with chicken I baked in the oven and it’s still great but something about that slight char from the grilling is really nice in this salad. If you don’t have a grill, I like to use this grill pan
Get the pan nice and and drizzle the chicken breast with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until chicken is cooked through. Try not to move the chicken while is cooks. This will help you get those sear marks and after it sears the chicken will more easily be removed from the pan.
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Strawberry Basil Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 oz chicken breast grilled and sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup strawberries stemmed and quartered
- 1/2 cup english cucumbers sliced
- 1/4 cup basil leaves gently torn or sliced
- 1/4 cup feta crumbled
- 1 small avocado sliced
Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt reduce by half if using table salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Grill chicken breast until cooked through. Let sit 5 minutes then thinly slice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, assemble salad with spinach, strawberries, basil, cucumbers and avocado. Add sliced chicken breast on top and sprinkle with feta. Then drizzle with dressing and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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