Strawberry Spinach Salad is a refreshing summer salad with fresh berries, feta, chicken breast and light lemon dressing. Easy healthy lunch!
This fresh berry Salad is the perfect lunch when the weather is warm! Or serve it as a tasty new Side Dish at your cookout or as an easy healthy weeknight dinner. For more beautiful salad recipes for summer, try my Steakhouse Steak Salad or my spot-on Cheesecake Factory Luau Salad copycat!
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Sabrina’s Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
Between the juicy, sweet strawberries; fresh spinach; creamy feta, crunchy pecans, chicken, and tangy dressing, you won’t be able to get enough of my Spinach Strawberry Salad! With the light, lemony dressing, tender chicken, and sweet berries, it’s the perfect salad to make all summer long.
The addition of cold cooked chicken breast makes my Strawberry Spinach Salad a great summer lunch or dinner. The amazing, refreshing flavor from the berries and greens become a hearty, healthy entree with the added protein. The chicken makes the dish filling plus the healthy salad ingredients will give you all the nutrients and energy you need for your favorite summer activities.
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Ingredients
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach has an earthy, leafy, and slightly sweet flavor and is packed with nutrients. Tender baby spinach leaves are less bitter than regular spinach which makes them better for salads.
- Fresh Strawberries: Ripe strawberries are wonderfully sweet and juicy with just a bit of natural tartness. The sweet strawberries also add a beautiful texture and bright color that makes this dish stand out a lot.
- Chicken: For the chicken, you can use canned chicken breast, but I especially love to make this salad when I have leftover Grilled Chicken Breast during the summer. Just slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces before tossing it with the salad.
- Feta: The feta cheese has an acidic, salty flavor that contrasts with all the fresh vegetables and fruit in the salad. Its crumbly consistency also adds a bit of texture to the dish.
- Pecans: The toasted pecans add some crunch for texture plus they have a warmth and bit of saltiness to add some balance.
- Red Onions: Don’t use more than ¼ of the onion and slice it very thinly so you get the earthy, sharp flavor without overpowering your salad.
- Dressing: A light vinaigrette is perfect for this summer salad! Not only is it bursting with a bright citrus flavor, but the lighter dressing doesn’t weigh down the tender spinach or overpower the fresh berries. The easy dressing is a simple combination of the zest and juice from 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ⅓ cup of olive oil plus salt and pepper. Make sure to use extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
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How to Make
Time needed: 15 minutes.
- Combine the Dressing
Add the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Whisk the tangy salad dressing together.
- Begin Assembling
To a large salad bowl, add the fresh spinach Top with the chicken, strawberries, pecans, feta cheese and onion slices.
- Add the Dressing
Pour the lemon dressing mixture over the top of the salad ingredients, trying to pour over the entire salad, not just in one spot.
- Toss the Salad Ingredients
Using salad forks or large tongs, gently toss everything until the salad is well mixed and evenly coated in the dressing. Serve immediately.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 lemon , juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 5 cups baby spinach , packed
- 2 cups chicken breast , chunks
- 3 cups strawberries , thinly sliced
- 1 cup toasted pecans , chopped
- 1/4 red onion , thinly sliced
- 1 cup feta , crumbled
Instructions
- Whisk together the lemon juice, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add spinach, chicken, strawberries, pecans, feta cheese and onion to the bowl
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Nutrition
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Can this salad be made ahead of time?
You can make Strawberry Spinach Salad up in advance. The key to keeping the salad ingredients fresh is to wait to add the dressing. Mix the vinaigrette, then store it in a separate container. Toss together the fruit, and veggies in a separate bowl. Seal the ingredients in airtight containers, and toss the salad in dressing right before serving. If you’re worried about keeping the baby spinach leaves fresh, you can also store them separately so that the strawberry juice isn’t dampening them in storage.
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Nutritional Facts
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Tips for the Perfect Salad!
Make the Salad Your Own
One of the best things about a homemade Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe is that it’s a very adaptable salad! You can swap out ingredients for what you have on hand or toppings you prefer. When swapping ingredients, try to stick to similar texture or flavor profiles. For example, using tart apples instead of the strawberries, shallots for the red onions, or Roasted Turkey Breast for the chicken. Check my Variations section at the end of this post for more ideas.
Make Your Own Toasted Pecans
You can buy your pecans already toasted from the grocery store but toasting them yourself brings out that warm, toasty nutty flavor. As they heat up, delicious oils are freshly released and they just taste so much better! Here’s how to easily toast your own nuts:
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss plain raw pecans in oil and salt. (You can also toss them in brown sugar or maple syrup to make candied pecans.
- Put them in the oven for 7-10 minutes, occasionally stirring throughout the cook time.
- Let the pecans cool, then chop them to add to any fresh salad.
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How to Store
Store: If you don’t think you’ll finish the salad in one sitting, leave the dressing on the side. This way you can store the salad and dressing in separate airtight containers in the fridge. They’ll stay good separately for 3-5 days.
Freeze: Both the salad and the dressing are best fresh and neither will freeze well.
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More Homemade Dressings
Instead of the Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette, try one of these two other homemade salad dressings with this delicious Strawberry Spinach Salad.
- Poppy Seed Dressing: To make easy poppy seed dressing for the salad, add 2 ½ tablespoons honey, ¼ cup white vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground mustard to a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined, then slowly add ½ cup vegetable oil. Once the mixture is combined, add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds to finish the poppy seed dressing. You can add additional honey if you want a little more sweetness in the poppy seed dressing. Toss dressing over salad and serve.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette: You can also make a balsamic vinaigrette dressing for the salad. To make the balsamic dressing add 1 tablespoon honey, ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper, ½ minced garlic clove, and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to a mixing bowl. Whisk the balsamic dressing ingredients together, then slowly pour in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil. Continue whisking until the balsamic dressing is well combined with the oil. Toss the balsamic dressing in the salad right away, or store the Strawberry Spinach Salad dressing in a mason jar in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
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Frequent Questions
Yes, you can absolutely experiment with different kinds of fruit in this berry salad. Other kinds of fresh berries like fresh blueberries, raspberries, and cherries would taste amazing. You can also add crisp apple slices or mandarin oranges to change up the berry spinach salad with some more variety.
The key to the perfect salad is balancing flavors using ingredients that compliment and bring out under notes of other ingredients. For example, in this salad the bright pop of citrus in the vinaigrette that brings out the natural tartness from the sweet berries, while the salty feta helps balance the tang and sweetness for one balanced bite.
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Variations
- Shallots: Instead of red onions, try this salad with fresh shallots! They are less pungent than onions but still have a good light garlicky flavor. You could also make it with green onions or fennel!
- Meat: This salad would taste amazing with some sliced Grilled Steak pieces instead of the chicken. You could also use leftover roasted turkey breast or crispy bacon.
- Fruit: Of course this salad would taste great with pretty much any fresh summer berry, like blueberries or blackberries. But you could also enjoy it year round with other fruits and berries. Try this in the fall or winter with fruits and berries like dried cranberries, sliced pear, tart apple, or Mandarin orange pieces.
- Nuts and Seeds: You can try different kinds of nuts like almond slices or walnuts. Also, try adding seeds like sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds.
- Cheese: For some different kinds of cheese, try other crumbly cheese like goat cheese, blue cheese, or cojita cheese. You could also use thick shredded cheese like white cheddar, Swiss cheese, or smoked Gouda. Creamy mini fresh mozzarella balls would taste good too!
- Greens: Swap your spinach for chopped kale, arugula, or spring mix. Or do a combination of greens to add some variety.
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