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Week of 4/1/19

Balsamic Chicken and Spinach Salad
with strawberries / blue cheese / almonds

Active: 25 Total: 40
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Balsamic Chicken and Spinach Salad

This entree salad is just the sort of thing that makes us look forward to spring - fresh strawberries and balsamic vinegar give the salad a nice balance of sweet and tart. This salad was first featured in 2018.
Smarts: Savory, salty blue cheese adds nice contrast to the salad, but feel free to use any cheese you'd like - goat cheese or feta would be great alternatives.

Tags
Grill Friendly, Entree Salad
Proteins
Chicken, non-ground
Cuisines
American
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73

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
Balsamic Vinaigrette (for marinade and dressing):
  • Shallots - 1 clove , diced
  • Vinegar, balsamic - 3 Tbsp
  • Mustard, Dijon - 1 Tbsp
  • Honey - 2 Tbsp
  • Oil, cooking - 1/2 cup
  • Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Balsamic Chicken and Spinach Salad:
  • Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb
  • Strawberries - 1 pint , quartered
  • Baby spinach - 8 oz
  • Cheese, blue - 4 oz (sub feta or goat cheese)
  • Almonds, sliced - 1/3 cup

Prep

  1. Make vinaigrette - Dice shallots. Combine shallots with vinegar, mustard, honey, oil, and lemon juice. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Marinate chicken - Combine chicken with half the vinaigrette (reserve the other half for dressing) and tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)

  3. Strawberries - Quarter strawberries.

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Make

  1. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade). Season chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper. 

  2. If using a grill: Preheat grill to to 400F / 204C degrees, keeping one section on higher heat and another section on lower heat. Clean and brush grates with some oil. Sear chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side and transfer to lower heat. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165F / 74C degrees, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. If using the stovetop: Place a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Brush pan with some oil and sear chicken on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to low-medium, cover with foil, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165F / 74C degrees.

  4. When chicken is finished cooking, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.

  5. Slice chicken. Assemble salads by topping spinach with sliced chicken, strawberries, crumbled cheese, and almonds. Finish with reserved half of vinaigrette at the table. Enjoy!

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