Harvest Spinach Chicken Salad
This harvest salad is packed with color, texture, and bold fall flavors, perfect for meal prep or impressing at your next gathering.
Servings 4 (click to scale)
Calories 269kcal
Ingredients
For the Grilled Chicken
- 4 ea boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
For the Pickled Red Onions
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion sliced
For the Salad
- 6 cup spinach
- 1 cup mandarin orange segments
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing
Instructions
For the Grilled Chicken
- In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, oil, seasoning, lime juice, and salt. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove chicken from marinade and place on sheet pan for grilling.
- Place chicken on the clean hot grill and sear on both sides, grill marks as desired, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from grill and place grilled chicken onto a clean baking sheet. Finish the cooking in the oven until temperature reaches 165 F.
- Slice and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.
For the Pickled Red Onions
- In a small saucepan, combine the salt, sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the fresh thyme. Allow the brine to sit for 15 minutes.
- Place the sliced onions in a heat-resistant storage container. Pour the vinegar brine over the onions. Allow to pickle at least 2 hours prior to serving.
For the Salad
- In the bottom of an entree salad bowl, arrange 1-1/2 cups of spinach.
- Next, top with 3 oz. sliced grilled chicken and 1 Tbsp of pickled red onions.
- Then sprinkle the salad with 1/4 cup oranges, 1 Tbsp. of feta cheese, 1 Tbsp of sliced almonds, and 1 Tbsp. of dried cranberries.
- Serve with 2 oz. of salad dressing on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 647mg | Fiber: 3g
