Strawberry Chicken Salad with Honey Poppy-Seed Dressing

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Strawberry Chicken Salad with Honey Poppy-Seed Dressing — Mixed greens with sliced strawberries, pecans, crumbled blue cheese, and honey poppy-seed dressing.

A few nights ago, we had friends over for dinner and I didn’t know them very well. Sometimes it is really hard to cook for people that you don’t know. You don’t want to make something too fancy, and you don’t want to make something too ordinary. I settled on this strawberry chicken salad because it would make me happy if someone invited me over for dinner and served this. I added a grilled chicken breast to each salad because boys tend to turn their noses up at salad if there is not some sort of protein on it. I also made corn chowder and I’ll share that with you soon; it is worth making again. Precede it all with a Prosecco Cocktail, add some Simple Challah Bread and a cold glass of white wine to dinner, and you have some very happy guests.

Ingredients //

Honey Poppy Seed Dressing:

• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup oil

Salad:

• mixed Greens
• spinach
• green onions
• blue cheese crumbles
• sliced strawberries
• pecans
• grilled chicken

How To Make // The Steps

Step 1: I like to make my dressing first. Put the vinegar, honey, dry mustard, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper into a mason jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to start dissolving the honey. Take the top off and add the oil. Shake again. Taste to make sure that the balance is right. Sometimes I need to add a little more vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Step 2: In a big bowl, add mixed greens, spinach leaves, and thinly sliced green onions. Keep it in the fridge until right before you are ready to eat.

Step 3: Slice the strawberries (by yourself or a helper!).

Step 4: I had everything ready to go ahead of time and tossed it right before I served it.

Step 5: Throw everything together in the salad bowl. Drizzle with dressing, reserving some for the chicken. I marinated some chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, a few cloves of garlic that I smashed, and some fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. My husband grilled it and I put slices over the top of the salad. Drizzle some dressing over the chicken, too.

Variations //

As with most salads, this one allows for any number of permutations. If there’s an ingredient you’re not fond of, give these ones I go:

Berry and Nut Salad: If you’re not fond of strawberries, replace them with a mix of berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Or keep the strawberries and add the other berries anyways! The nuts can stay, though you could “candy” them (i.e. glaze them) for added sweetness.

Citrus Salad: Go with a different set of fruit by tossing the salad with sliced oranges, grapefruit, and avocado. Top with crumbled feta cheese and toasted almonds. Drizzle with the honey poppy seed dressing.

Cobb Salad: Cobb it up with hard-boiled eggs, diced bacon, and diced tomatoes. This Kansas Chopped Salad with Peppercorn Ranch is similar to a Cobb Salad.

Southwest Salad: Along with the grilled chicken, add black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. Add shredded cheddar cheese and avocado. Drizzle with a lime-cilantro dressing.

Mediterranean Salad: Far from the Southwest is this version from the shores of the Mediterranean. Toss mixed greens with sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Top with the grilled chicken and/or chickpeas. A lemon-oregano dressing would work well here. I make a Chopped Chicken Salad, which is Mediterranean-inspired. Take a look if this variation interests you.

FAQs //

How To Store Strawberry Chicken Salad //

The hope is that you haven’t dressed the entire salad so that you can store them separately. The dressing can be kept in the mason jar in the fridge for a week. As for the salad, put it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge where it will last for 2 days.