Chicken Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

For the salad dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ⅛ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 4 cups baby spinach
• ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Combine 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
2. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
3. Sprinkle chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray.
4. Add chicken to pan; cook 7 minutes on each side, ensuring chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.  Cut into slices.
5. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
6. Add strawberries; toss to coat. Add spinach and onion to strawberry mixture; toss gently to combine.
7. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top evenly with sliced chicken and sprinkle with feta.

Variations & Tips

• If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use other vinegars, such as apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
• For the dressing, you can replace the sugar with up to ½ teaspoon of honey or maple syrup.
• Preparing the chicken on a grill is a great option if you have one available. You could also roast the chicken in the oven on a baking sheet. Whichever method you use, make sure to use a food thermometer to verify that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F.
• You can use other salad greens instead of spinach.
• If strawberries are not available, use apples, pears, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries.
• Try other toppings, such as chickpeas, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or sunflower seeds.
• Other cheese options instead of feta could include blue cheese, goat cheese, parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar.

Nutritional Facts

YIELD: 4 Servings (4-oz chicken per serving and 1 cup salad)

Calories: 311 per serving, Carbohydrates: 12g, Fiber: 3.1g, Sugar: 6.5g (0.1g added sugar), Protein: 29.3g, Fat: 16g, Saturated fat: 3.9g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 503mg

SOURCE: Adapted from Cooking Light

Watch the cooking demo video below for extra tips and guidance!