Strawberry Summer Salad with Chicken, Bacon, and Poppyseed Dressing
Fresh, flavorful, easy - that's this salad in a nutshell! It's full of summer flavors like juicy blueberries & strawberries, grilled chicken, fresh greens, and a quick poppyseed dressing. Serve this up for every picnic and cook-out from now until Labor Day!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Healthy Food
Keyword Summer Salad, Summer Strawberry Salad, 4th of July Recipes, Easy Potluck Recipes, Easy Cook Out Recipes, Easy Side Dishes
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Calories 547kcal
Author Stephanie Simmons
Ingredients
Salad
3cupsmixed greensI used a mix of arugula, spinach, and butter lettuce
1lbchicken breast, seasoned + cookedsee note below about how I cook mine without a grill
1/4cuppecans
3slicescooked bacon, chopped
2cupsfresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
1 and 1/2cupsfresh blueberries, rinsed
1/2cupfeta cheese
Poppyseed Dresing
4TBSPwhite wine vinegar
4TBSPolive oil
2TBSPwater
3-4TBSPsugar
1TBSPpoppyseeds
2tsphoney mustard
pinchofsalt
Instructions
Prep: Cook your chicken and bacon. We like to do our bacon in the oven, according to package directions. I like to season the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add 1 TBSP olive oil to a medium pan on the stove top over medium heat and cook chicken 4-6 minutes on each side, until done in the middle (no pink!). OR grill your chicken!
Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients (starting with only 3 TBSP sugar) to a mason jar, tightly screw on the lid, and shake for a minute to combine everything. Taste, and add the extra TBSP of sugar if desired.
Salad: Assemble the salad - start with your greens - roughly chop them - then add the chicken, bacon, pecans, berries, and cheese. Add the dressing just before serving.
Make Ahead + Serving Tips: I do NOT recommend assembling the salad ahead of time. You can have the individual components prepped (slice the strawberries, cook and slice the chicken and bacon, etc.) a day ahead, but wait until just before serving to assemble the salad. You can always leave the dressing on the side so people can add as much or as little as they want. Same with the meat, nuts, or cheese to accommodate people with dietary restrictions.
Store: Store leftovers, covered tightly, in the fridge for 2-3 days. It's best enjoyed closest to the day it was made.