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Add flavor to your table with this delicious Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad. A light refreshing chicken salad recipe perfect for summer!
This fresh Summer salad is filled with grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, sweet strawberries, and topped with chopped basil.
One of my favorite parts of summer are all the fresh fruits and veggies. Hit up your local farmers market and grab the ingredients for this simple and delicious Caprese Chicken Salad!
If you love a delicious salad recipe as much as I do, you’ll want to try this Cranberry Bacon Broccoli Salad next!
What Is Caprese Salad?
Caprese salad is a simple and traditional Italian salad. These salads are known for representing the colors of the Italian flag (green, white, and red). Typically the salad is made with all fresh ingredients like mozzarella, sweet basil, and tomatoes.
Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad Recipe
This Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad recipe is the perfect way to balance sweet and savory while staying delicious! I love using fresh seasonal fruits and veggies, especially in the summer.
This take on a classic caprese salad adds a bit of sweetness with a summery twist. Caprese chicken salads are meant to display the flavorful simplicity of Italian cooking and ingredients.
Traditionally, Caprese salads are made with fresh ingredients including mozzarella, sweet basil, and tomatoes. The colors of the Italian flag! However, for our red, we’re putting a little spin on this classic by using strawberries to add a dash of sweetness.
Caprese Chicken Salad can be a very savory dish, adding a bit of sweetness adds complexity to this deliciously simple dish.
Don’t forget you can make a salad a meal by adding protein. In this recipe, I’ve opted for Balsamic Grilled Chicken. Marinades are great for adding extra flavor to any dish. Jalapeño Lime Marinated Chicken would also be delicious on this salad!
If you’re a steak fan, you might also like to try Jalapeño Lime Steak.
Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad Ingredients
Strawberry Caprese Salad
From the garden (or store): for a Caprese salad, the fresher the better! You’ll need strawberries, baby spinach, onions, basil.
Dairy: try your local Italian grocer for the freshest mozzarella.
Balsamic Chicken
Marinade: this savory marinade also doubles as a dressing. Just mix Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a glass jar until fully combined.
Chicken: I used chicken breast tenders because they are smaller and cook quickly, and easy to cut for the salad.
*For a detailed list of ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.
How to Make Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad
I would suggest getting the chicken started first to give it more time to marinate. If you can marinate the chicken overnight, that’s even better!
1. Marinate the chicken. Mix dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake or stir until combined. Use half of this mix to marinate the chicken for 1 to 10 hours.
2. Cook the chicken. Heat your cast iron pan and cook the chicken until browned.
3. Slice the chicken. Once cooked, let your chicken cool and cut into bite sized pieces.
4. Prepare the salad. Mix the spinach and remaining balsamic marinade in a large bowl. add all the remaining ingredients to your bowl and mix well.
5. Serve. Divide into four bowls and serve!
Can I Prep This Salad in Advance?
You can definitely prep your ingredients in advance. However, I suggest keeping the ingredients separate until serving so that your fruit and veggies stay fresh and crisp.
Recipe Variations To Try
The great thing about salads is how easy it is to mix and match ingredients. There are so many quick ways to keep salad recipes exciting. You can try:
Adding veggies: try the classic tomato, or maybe grated carrots for added texture.
Different fruits: blueberries, or add some tartness with raspberries.
Add more texture: avocado, pistachios, or walnuts walnuts.
Tips For Making The Best Chicken Caprese Salad
- Try adding heirloom tomatoes for an extra pop of color.
- For the best Caprese chicken salad, make sure to use a good quality mozzarella. You will notice the difference.
More Summer Salad Recipes To Try
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad
- Tex-Mex Flank Steak Salad With Avocado Lime Dressing
WANT TO TRY THIS STRAWBERRY CAPRESE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE?
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Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Caprese Chicken Salad
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 8 ounces mozzarella ciliegine
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved or quartered
- 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn in half
Balsamic Chicken
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 6 chicken breast tenders
Instructions
Balsamic Chicken
- Place the dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a glass jar and shake or stir until fully combined.
- Add half the marinade and the chicken tenders to a large ziploc bag. Shake to fully coat the chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 10 hours.
- Heat a griddled cast iron pan on medium heat. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until chicken is browned and internal temperature has reached 165° F.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes before slicing into bite sized pieces.
Caprese Chicken Salad
- Add the spinach to a large salad bowl and toss with remaining balsamic marinade. Add the mozzarella, strawberries, red onion, basil, and cooked chicken, and gently toss. Divide between bowls and serve!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a review and let me know how you liked it!
Wow! This was so good. I am a huge fan of Caprese but never thought to add strawberries. Such a great change from one of my favorites. I ended up meal prepping with these for work. I put the dressing at the bottom, then layered the other ingredients on top so it stayed fresh. Will definitely be in my regular rotation!
This salad was so easy and delicious, perfect for summer. Loved the flavour of the chicken!
I loved the sweet and savory together. What a fun twist on a traditional caprese salad!
That was a delicious salad. I’m going to look at the others you suggested. The watermelon salad sounds good too.
Summer in a bowl! Such a fresh and tasty salad with the strawberries too. Can’t wait to make it again.
I love strawberries in a salad, it made this one so light and fresh!
Helpful article. I found interesting information