Skip to Content

Spinach Chicken Salad w/ Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

spinach chicken salad on a plate

 

It appears most of the country is either covered in snow or has crazy cold temperatures.  We did get a little on Saturday, but not nearly as bad as other parts of the country.  We had enough for a snowball fight in the backyard (I won), but not enough to use the snow blower.  I am hoping that it melts soon.  I have grown accustomed to the mild winters of Colorado.  It was in the 50’s pretty much all last week.

spinach chicken salad on a plate

I am all for being healthy, but it has to taste good.   I almost never make salads at home, because they don’t turn out like their restaurant counterparts.   I am not one to add cheese and all the creamy dressings, so I don’t think it is the toppings.  After some trial and error, I figured out that it all has to do with the lettuce.  Dry lettuce is the key to a good salad.  In the past, I have just rinsed the lettuce, chopped, and put immediately in a salad.  The dressing doesn’t stick, and it is never good.  So whether it is a salad spinner or drying with paper towel; making sure there is no moisture is an important step.

spinach chicken salad on a plate

The other thing that leads to a good salad?  The dressing.  I am talking about a quick and easy homemade vinaigrette.  I haven’t found any creamy dressings that I like, so I like creating different vinaigrettes depending on what I am putting in my salad.  For this spinach salad I used balsamic vinegar and a garlic olive oil, a little Dijon mustard for tang and it was perfect.  You can really top your salad with whatever you want, but I went for avocado, chicken, pepitas, shredded carrots, and caramelized onions.  This salad is hearty enough to have for dinner or lunch.  I doubled the recipe for the dressing, so I have some sitting in my fridge for my lunch tomorrow too.

Yield: 4

Spinach Chicken Salad w/ Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

spinach chicken salad on a plate

A hearty salad with chicken, caramelized onions, avocado and topped with a Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salad

  • 6 cups spinach
  • 1/3 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onions
  • 2 Tbls roasted pepitas
  • 1 small chicken breast
  • 1 tsp STAR Grilling, (Garlic) Cuisine Cooking Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 2 Tbls STAR Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 1/2 Tbls STAR Grilling, (Garlic) Cuisine Cooking Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a bowl combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Whisk thoroughly. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan heat oil over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken for 6 minutes a side, or until cooked through. Remove from pan, and slice into strips.
  3. Divide spinach onto 2 plates or bowls. Top with carrots, avocado, onions, sliced chicken and pepitas.
  4. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad to serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 613Total Fat 45gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 33gCholesterol 31mgSodium 470mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 14gSugar 5gProtein 36g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a picture on social media!


 **I have an on going relationship with STAR Fine Foods for recipe development.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. 
Erin S
Follow me
Latest posts by Erin S (see all)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Aggie

Monday 20th of March 2017

I love a good spinach salad - this looks delicious!

Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet}

Tuesday 14th of January 2014

I am so hungry right now - just wish I had this in front of me right now!!! YUM!

Wendy | Around My Family Table

Thursday 9th of January 2014

Now this is my type of salad! Looks great.

Shawn @ IWYD

Wednesday 8th of January 2014

Yum! This would be perfect for a delicious lunch!

Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction

Tuesday 7th of January 2014

Love the sound of this vinaigrette! Perfect way to top a salad!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe