Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad

This easy-to-make yet hearty salad features fresh strawberries, rotisserie chicken, mandarin oranges, healthy mixed greens with spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pecans, and bacon with a yogurt-based, homemade poppy seed dressing. This loaded strawberry salad offers amazing texture and flavor, all with no cooking required.

You'll love this refreshing salad loaded with healthy fruits and veggies as well as protein! The strawberry salad can be made with a simple homemade poppy seed dressing or save time and use a store-bought dressing.

★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★

This strawberry salad is made with rotisserie chicken, so no cooking required, making this a perfect lunch or dinner for warm weather days.

You'll love that this is packed with a variety of ingredients offering lots of vitamins and nutrients while still being incredibly delicious. This is not your typical strawberry salad!

A few unique ingredients include cucumbers, mandarin oranges, pecans and bacon for a kick of salt to balance out the sweetness.

The homemade poppy seed dressing is simple to whip up and is yogurt-based making it a healthy option that bring pro-biotics and packs additional protein.

This is an awesome salad to serve as dinner, no main dish required! This salad also works great for meal prep, just be sure to store your dressing on the side and drizzle it on top right before you're ready to dig in.

★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

This recipe is very versatile so feel free to swap in or out with your favorite salad combination.

Here's a look at everything you'll need, including ingredients to make your own dressing.

You can simplify and save time by grabbing bottled poppy seed dressing at the store, if you prefer.

For the Salad

• Chicken. I use traditional or lemon pepper rotisserie chicken. It works great and saves a bunch of time. You can cook your own chicken if you prefer. Any cooked chicken with neutral seasoning works.
• Bacon. You can cook your own or shortcut and use real bacon bits.
• Tomatoes. Either grape or cherry tomatoes work best.
• Strawberries. You want these fresh and ripe. If you can score some from a farmers market, your salad will taste that much better.
• Mandarin oranges. These can be found in a can or you can use fresh clementines if you prefer.
• Red onion. You can sub with yellow or white onion if you prefer.
• Cucumber. English cucumber works best, they are much less watery.
• Mixed greens. I like to use a spring mix that includes spinach for variety in color, flavor and vitamins.
• Pecans. These taste best lightly toasted but you can skip that step if you want to save time.

For the Dressing

• Poppy seeds
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper
• Avocado mayonnaise. This is a healthy alternative to regular mayo that still tastes great.
• Plain Greek yogurt
• White wine vinegar
• Honey. You can also use maple syrup if you prefer.
• Shallot

★ How to Make this Recipe ★

The strawberry salad and poppy seed dressing are easy to prepare in just a few steps.

Here's a look and what you'll need to do:

• Prepare fruits and veggies as needed by washing, chopping and/or slicing.
• Chop chicken into bit-sized chunks.
• Combine chicken, fruits and vegetables in a large salad bowl.
• Add dressing ingredients to a mason jar then shake to combine.
• Before serving, drizzle dressing on top and toss with mixed greens.

Simple as that!

★ Tips & FAQs ★

How do I toast the pecans?

Toasting the pecans is optional for added flavor. You can skip this to save time.

If you do want to roast your pecans, then you can toast pecans three different ways. In the oven, a skillet, or even wrapped in a paper towel in the microwave heated for 30 seconds or just until fragrant.

In the Oven

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Prepare Pecans: Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
3. Toast Pecans: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Toast for about 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure even toasting.
4. Cool Pecans: Remove from the oven and let the pecans cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they cool.

Stovetop Method

1. Heat Pan: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat.
2. Add Pecans: Add the pecans in a single layer.
3. Toast Pecans: Stir frequently to prevent burning. Toast for about 3-5 minutes until they are fragrant and lightly browned.
4. Cool Pecans: Remove from the heat and transfer the pecans to a plate to cool.

Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the salad ingredients ahead of time. Just be sure to store the dressing separately and add it just before serving the salad to keep the salad ingredients from becoming soggy.

Can I use store-bought dressing?

Absolutely. There are a variety of poppy seed dressing available to choose from. I do think this salad tastes best with homemade dressing but if time is of the essence, store-bought is still a good option.

What protein alternatives can I use instead of chicken?

You can substitute the chicken with other proteins such as:

• Grilled shrimp
• Sliced turkey breast
• Tofu or tempeh (for a vegetarian option)
• Grilled salmon
• Sliced steak

Can I add other fruits and nuts?

Sure! Fruits like blueberries, raspberries, or apple slices can be added or substituted in.

Nuts and seeds like walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashews can added or subbed in to add more crunch and flavor.

What goes well with this salad?

This strawberry chicken salad is a meal in a bowl, however, if you want to layer it with some carbs, you certainly can.

This salad pairs well with:

• Crusty bread or rolls
• Quinoa, couscous or orzo pasta
• A light soup such as tomato-basil or red pepper gouda

Store Leftovers

Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep the dressing separate if possible.

If you are feeding a crowd and aren't sure if you'll have leftovers, offer the dressing on the side for each person to add to their bowl of salad. That way if you do have leftovers, you can store the dressing separate from the salad. And then each person can add the quantity of dressing they prefer.

The salad will store well without the dressing for 1-3 days depending on freshness of the ingredients you started with. I like to shop ingredients the same day or the day before I prepare this salad for the best flavor and crisp textures.

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