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Make the best of those summertime berries with this Mixed Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken and a homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette! It’s a light and delicious summer lunch that’s bursting with berry flavor!
We’ve probably had the best strawberries ever growing in our garden this year. I’ll attribute that to completely relaying soil in our strawberry boxes and adding a few new plants. Of course, the weather could definitely be a factor, too. Strawberries are down for a good drink (facts!) and they’ve had their fill lately with all of the rain we’ve been getting.
Whatever it is, I’m entirely thankful for the big, sweet berries we’ve been plucking from the vines. Whenever I get a good handful – and when I don’t pop them straight into my mouth from the stem – I like to add them to salads.
I was totally craving a summer-inspired salad last week. But if I was going to make a salad bursting with berries, I was going to need a lot more than what we get off our plants! So I hit the mecca of berry sales at Whole Foods – 2 for $5 organic strawberries, 2 for $5 organic raspberries, and super cheap organic blueberries. I loaded up on all of them!
The mix of berries add a mouthful of sweetness to this summer inspired salad. I’m such a fan of big salads that are full of fresh ingredients and flavors that play off of each other in every yummy forkful.
A “berry” delicious and light summertime lunch!
Honestly, a big salad bowl full of greens, berries, onion, sliced almonds, and cheese would have been enough to satisfy my craving for a light, summertime lunch. But I tossed in a little chopped, grilled chicken, too.
I also topped this salad with a homemade strawberry balsamic dressing. Sure, I could have used the bottled, berry vinaigrette in our fridge, but it’s so easy to make your own! I was able to put some of my strawberries to good use and blended them with olive oil, balsamic, and a touch of honey!
Ingredients
- 1 large, or 2 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 small heads of Romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped
- 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 4 ounces mozzarella balls, halved
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup strawberries, cleaned and halved
- 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp. honey
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for five minutes on each side, or until cooked through completely.
- Once cooked, let the chicken cook down for a couple minutes. Then, dice.
- Add the Romaine lettuce, berries, onion, mozzarella, almonds, basil, and chicken to a salad bowl. Toss to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Blend all of the ingredients together.
- Strain and pour over salad.
If you need an idea to use up those berries picked from a local farm or want to take something red, white, and blue to a 4th of July barbecue, this mixed berry salad is it! It’s colorful, it’s fresh, and it tastes like summer should! It’s a little sweet, a little tangy, and a whole lot of delicious!
Omit the chicken if you’re vegetarian or feeding a crowd at your next cookout. The strawberry dressing makes a lot, but you might want to double the recipe for a big bash.
If this salad was all I had to eat all summer long, I definitely wouldn’t be mad. In fact, I probably will make this most of the summer because it’s just that good!
If you make this salad, let me know what you think in the comments! Also, make sure that you tag me on social media with the hashtag, #livinglavidaeats. I want to see your beautiful salad creation (and that way I can relive this recipe)!
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