Grilled chicken breast marinated in a maple balsamic vinaigrette, tossed with fresh, crispy greens, smooth mozzarella cheese, and sweet strawberries. This quick and easy grilled chicken salad combines all of the delicious flavors you love from a caprese salad, but we swap out tomatoes for sweet and juicy Florida strawberries. This salad can easily be made ahead of time for meal prep, parties or as an easy and filling weeknight dinner.
You guys know how much I love a good salad. For years and years, that was pretty much the only way I’d eat my veggies. But if I ate the same salad everyday, I’d become incredibly bored. I love adding fresh fruits, soft cheeses and homemade dressings to change up the game.
We are coming to the end of Florida strawberry season, so adding fresh, local strawberries from Wish Farms was a no brainer. Plant City, which is about an hour away from Casa de Crews, is the winter strawberry capital of the world. Our local strawberries are some of the sweetest, juiciest berries you’ll ever have this time of year – I swear.
Earlier this month, Wish Farms and Produce for Kids invited us to Fancy Farms to meet the Grooms Family and tour their farm. We were able to pick fresh Florida strawberries – that are later packaged and distributed by Wish Farms, meet with the Grooms Family, and learn about the work that is running a strawberry farm. Want to know the best way to keep your strawberries fresh for as long as possible? Visit this post, here.
The Grooms Family were wonderful hosts, and I loved meeting with them all, and learning about their family business. Rarely do I think much about where my berries come from – I know they’re local, but to see their fields in live action, makes you really appreciate the whole process that much more.
My Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad with a Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is a total salad game changer! We ate this salad everyday for lunch, for a week. And I love when a homemade dressing can double as a marinade; and this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is the best of both worlds! I like to blend everything together so that it’s creamy and somewhat thick over whisking. You do you, though.
This salad is a complete meal, but it’s also perfect as a side (you can always hold the chicken) to an Easter brunch or dinner, baby shower (tis’ the season) or any other event this spring. I added avocado at the last minute for extra healthy fat.
How to keep this salad whole30 compliant:
If I were on a whole30 and I wanted to make this salad, I’d omit the mozzarella cheese from the salad, and the maple syrup from the vinaigrette. If you want a little natural sweetness, you could add 2-3 fresh dates over maple syrup. This Dijon Vinaigrette is also a good substitution for someone following the Whole30. Same goes if you’re looking for less carbs from this salad. You’re the boss, applesauce.
I love to prep this salad ahead of time for easy meal prep for lunches. But it’s also easy to prep everything for this salad for dinner too.
How to prep this salad ahead of time for lunch or dinner:
- I highly suggest marinating the chicken breast (or thighs) a minimum of two hours, up to eight. I wouldn’t go longer than eight, because the acid from the balsamic vinegar can break down the chicken too much.
- You can blend together the dressing/marinade before work, marinate the chicken and come home to prep the salad veggies. The dressing will keep for up to one week refrigerated.
- You could also prep everything the night before: dressing, salad, marinade and grill, but assemble right before it’s time to eat. This is a perfect plan for a party!
- I’m a huge fan of mason jar salads – esp for the work week. You can assemble these salads in the following order: 1-2 tbsp dressing, chicken, mozzarella cheese, fresh strawberries, avocado, greens.
Are you a Berry Lover? If you love Wish Farms berries as much as I do, make sure to sign up for their weekly giveaway! Sign up to Be A Berry Lover and you could win a $100 Gift Card. Also receive a FREE Original Berry Recipe eBook, plus Misty the Garden Pixie digital children’s book. Receive special offers, what’s in season updates, featured recipes & more! Enter HERE.
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Tools used to make this recipe:
- blender : this is the blender I have. Because we’re not chopping much, any blender should work for this recipe.
- grill pan
strawberry caprese grilled chicken salad with a maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Ingredients
maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 3/4 cup olive oil, extra-virgin - or avocado oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup - omit if on a whole30 or keto
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
grilled chicken strawberry caprese salad
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast - can also use chicken thighs if preferred
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 cup maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing, divided in half - recipe above
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - or avocado oil
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or cubed
- 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced - haas avocado suggested
- 4 cups mixed greens of choice - romaine, spring mix, baby kale, etc
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn or finely chopped - chiffonade
Instructions
maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- To a blender, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Blend until the vinaigrette is emulsified (creamy). Can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to one (1) week.
grilled chicken strawberry caprese salad
- To a large resealable bag or bowl, add chicken breast or thighs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the maple balsamic dressing (approx 1/2 cup) and pour over chicken breasts. Refrigerate no less than 2 hours, up to 8 hours.
- Remove chicken from maple balsamic marinade. To a large skillet, add oil and heat skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, grill chicken until it reaches 165F, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from skillet or grill pan, and allow to cool 7-10 minutes. Slice or cube for salad.
- To a large bowl, combine strawberries, mozzarella, avocado, greens, and grilled chicken. Toss with remaining maple balsamic vinaigrette and combine. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you to Wish Farms and Produce for Kids for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Casa dr Crews.
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