This Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad is sweet, fresh and summery. It’s so simple, full of fresh greens, grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, toasted almonds, feta cheese, and a delicious berry vinaigrette. If you want to make it even more hearty, it’s also delicious with sliced avocado and/or crumbled bacon. Bonus: It looks as amazing as it tastes!
Ingredient Notes
- Greens – I use a mixture of romaine and spinach or spring greens, but any favorite leafy greens will do. I would avoid iceberg lettuce in this one.
- Chicken – I marinate 2-3 chicken breasts in Italian dressing and grill them up fresh (or a day ahead) for this salad. Really any leftover chicken will do! Rotisserie chicken is another great option. Simply leave out the chicken for a meatless option.
- Cheese – This recipe calls for tangy feta cheese. If you prefer, you can substitute fresh parmesan shreds.
- Toasted Almonds – You can buy almonds already toasted. You will usually find them in the produce section or near the salad dressings on the condiments aisle of your grocery store. I love the honey-roasted ones! If you’d like to toast your own, you can do so one of two ways: 1. Pop them in the oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes, checking on them and stirring every minute or two, or 2. Toss them in a pan over medium heat on the stovetop and move around continuously with a silicone spatula until fragrant and toasty, about 4-5 minutes. Cool before using.
- Berries – This recipe calls for strawberries and blueberries or raspberries, but feel free to mix up the fruit as needed based on what you have on hand. Other berries would be delicious, as would diced peaches or nectarines.
- Dressing – This Berry Poppyseed Vinaigrette makes the salad! It’s worth making if you have the time. In a pinch, Brianna’s brand blush wine vinaigrette would be a delicious variation. It’s not interchangeable for the the homemade dressing, but it would compliment the flavors in this salad very well.
How to Make a Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad
- If you’re using freshly grilled chicken, be sure to pop your chicken breasts in some Italian dressing or favorite marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (several hours is even better). For quick cooking, consider butterflying your chicken breasts before marinating. Toss your chicken on the grill and toast some almonds if they need toasting.
- Rinse your strawberries and blueberries and slice your strawberries. Chop your romaine if necessary.
- When chicken is done cooking, set aside to rest while you assemble the salad.
- Start with your greens, then sprinkle on some berries and almonds. Slice up your chicken and add that to the top along with the feta.
- Add desired dressing (or serve on the side) and enjoy! If you’re making this all in a big bowl for a crowd and are serving it immediately, I’d recommend dressing the entire salad just to make things easier.
Serving Suggestions
This salad makes a great light meal on its own. If serving company, you could certainly leave out the chicken and serve the salad as a side with a grilled or roasted meat of your choice and a flavorful rice side like this Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple or Lemon Garlic Herb Rice. A refreshing summer drink like Brazilian Lemonade or Virgin White Peach Sangria would be a fun addition as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prep this salad ahead of time? If you need to simplify putting this salad together, you can definitely take some steps to make it easier. Prepare your dressing a day ahead of time. Buy already washed and chopped romaine and spinach. Buy your almonds already toasted or toast them the day before and keep in an airtight container. I recommend washing and slicing berries within an hour or two of serving just so they don’t begin to get mushy. For your chicken, you can either grill it as you start assembling things, grill it the day before and store in the fridge, or use a rotisserie chicken.
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Grilled Chicken & Berry Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 main dish
Description
Savory chicken, sweet berries, tangy feta, and crunchy almonds round out this salad with greens and grilled chicken with a delicious berry poppyseed dressing! Salad ingredients are approximate- feel free to make to your liking using the ingredients below.
Ingredients
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into small pieces
6-8 ounces baby spinach or spring greens
12-16 ounces chicken, seasoned and grilled
8 ounces strawberries, sliced
8 ounces blueberries or other berries of your choosing
4 ounces crumbled Feta or shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced toasted almonds
Berry Poppy Seed Dressing to taste
Instructions
For serving a large crowd, toss all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl and add dressing to taste. For individual servings, arrange ingredients on plates and serve the dressing on the side. Makes about 8 side dish servings and 4-6 main dish servings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
Questions & Reviews
I made this more my Mother in Law and I and we both loved it. The dressing is SO good. This is a perfect Summer meal!
So delicious!! Thank you for sharing!!
Actually the cheese that Wendy’s uses on their Berry Chicken Salad is Asiago,
not parmesan….
Lol, I was going to say that. 🙂
The salad looks delicious! Man, fresh fruit sounds so good right now. Oh, and Melanie is my favorite on SYTYCD too! They are all incredible dancers, but she is most definitely my favorite!
Amazing salad! It was so good!! My husband didn’t think he would like the berry dressing but he loved it to.
Kate … You’ve outdone yourself on this one!! I’ve been playing around with similar combinations, but you’ve nailed it here. Pure Genius. Had to have it for dinner tonight … and I know I’ve said this before, but this really is my new favorite salad. The dressing sends it over the top!! Thank You Thank You … I’m sure I’ll be eating it everyday. Loving every bite 🙂
Meredith, I need you to come and live at my house and affirm me several times a day in every decision that I make… 🙂
OMG! Made this tonight and it was soooo good! Actually, it was extremely good! I left the blueberries and feta out cuz I forgot to buy some today and I used splenda instead of honey in the dressing. I can’t wait to make this for my dinner guests next week!
That is exactly what I did after eating that salad from Wendy’s! I thought it tasted great, but there just wasn’t enough for the price — so I made my own. I am SO excited to try your dressing, though, I just used some raspberry vinaigrette I had on hand, which was okay. But homemade dressing is definitely superior!
I love dinner salads! Especially in summer. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds delicious! We are always looking for a good new dinner salad. I’m thinking it would be even easier if I used half a rotisserie chicken. And I’m going to try it with queso fresco instead of feta because that’s what I have in my fridge and I think it will be nice with the berries. Thanks for the bonus post!
Cool! I love their new salads but haven’t tried this one yet. My fave is the Apple Pecan Chicken. Yummolicious!! Now if they’d only bring back the Mediterranean one from years ago, I’d be happy. LOL
OH MY GOSH, I know, right?!?! That and the Greek pita and my life would be complete.
I love that salad too. In fact, we are moving cross country (I was the one from the book signing leaving Ohio and going to Idaho) and I have already decided that is what I am eating for every meal. Hopefully keeping my traveler’s fanny to a minimum.
Thanks for sharing.
You totally got me- I saw your post and immediately thought- “Oh good, it’s Wednesday!” Then it sunk in. Nope, it’s just Tuesday. But yay for the extra post! Thanks 🙂 It’s time to make a new menu and this salad is on the top of the list. I can hardly wait to try it.
I don’t really like Melanie. Probably because she’s the obvious Judge Favorite. I was pulling for Nick, the tap dancer, but now that he’s gone, I will have to find a new favorite, I guess.
Oh, I loved Nick!!! I was so sad he got the boot. He was my favorite after Melanie.
Love it! I’m pretty sure my husband has a bowl of cereal or cookies and milk most nights no matter what I’ve made for dinner–burnt or perfect!
Oh looks so yummy. I’m always trying to find new salad ideas– we have been getting two heads of lettuce every week in our produce box lately. That’s a lot since my toddlers tend to be suspicious of salads. I bet they’d like this though. Who doesn’t like berries, right?
I love berry salads. Unfortunately my husband does not so I don’t get to make them that often.
I heart the cupcake activist! We made this for dinner last night. I could tell my husband was not excited about this concoction, but he was trying to be polite and not say anything about his skepticism. He ate it anyway and LOVED it! He said several times during the meal how much he liked it and said at the end…”This could be a restaurant meal.” It might have been the best compliment he’s ever given me. He really liked it.
Thanks for all your great recipes…They’re all so yummy. You’ve made cooking fun for me. Can’t wait to try the Fruit Pizza. might make it New York Style with a thin crust.
How beautiful everything looks mixed together! Yummy! Can’t wait to make that dressing it sounds delish! Thanks for the summer ideas I am always in need!
YUM!!! Thanks for a great idea, Kate! 🙂
Strawberry and feta salad is probably my all time favorite! We throw a little diced red onion in ours as well and the flavor combination is surprisingly really good.
Hee! I made something very similar last night, after trying the Wendy’s salad last week. I added cucumber and pecans toasted with some brown sugar to mine, and drizzled on a blackberry viniagrette I made up. This is a great summer salad, especially when the temperatures are running in the 100’s, like it is where I live! 🙂
Thanks for all the great recipes.
Perfect for the 4th of July! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the ideas and recipes.
Yum! This looks very similar to a salad I just tried and plan on making tonight. Same idea, but with pecans, no cheese and some pineapple and mandarins thrown in.
It looks wonderful! I’m not sure I could convince my hubby though. He usually thinks I’m putting too much on salads when I add extra veggies or cheese. I haven’t tried the Wendy’s salad, but am thinking I might have too soon.
Oh yum! I’m always struggling for quick summer meals and this looks perfect!!
love that salad…one of my favorites.
Wow, that looks fabulous! I recently had that salad at Wendy’s and really enjoyed it. I’d love to be able to make it at home. 🙂 And I just got home from picking strawberries!
Delicious! This is what we’re having for dinner tonight. My hubby will think it’s fancy since there is feta cheese and almonds. It will totally appeal to his food snobbery!
Oooooh, this looks delicious! I’m pretty sure you could change up the combination of cheeses, nuts or berries in this and it would still be gorgeous. Now all I need is some summer weather to enjoy this in and I’m set!
Looks great- LOVE the colors!