Green Salad with Chicken, Strawberries and Goat Cheese
by Katie Webster
May 7, 2018 (updated 3/27/22) Jump To Recipe
Are you in search of an awesome entree salad with a little something for everyone? Well, look no further! This Green Salad with Chicken, Strawberries and Goat Cheese is IT. Bonus that it is low carb and gluten free, too! Great for lunch, dinner or even a festive brunch idea for Mother’s Day.
Table of contents
I originally shared this recipe on June 19, 2010. I have updated the images and some of the text today.
Why We Love This Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad
I love to serve my family salad as a meal, but in order to pull it off it has to be crazy good and this one fits the bill. I’m getting some really gorgeous baby greens in my CSA right now… score! My family loves chicken, so that was a no-brainer.
Then I topped all that loveliness with a super simple vinaigrette. This one only has 4 ingredients! I added a little minced shallot to amp up the flavor a bit and used honey mustard instead of the traditional dijon so the subtle sweetness would play well with the strawberries.
But I have all these dressing recipes here so feel free to choose another one if you prefer. This lemon salad dressing would be great with this Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Chicken Salad. Or if you like a creamy dressing, this light Creamy Italian Dressing is lovely. Or come up with your own using these tips for a great dressing.
To really take this salad over the top I threw in some meaty cashews for a little crunch. You can go crazy here… I love pecans, pistachios, cashews, walnuts to name just a few. And all of the crunch is complimented by the creamy dreamy goat cheese. This Green Salad with Goat Cheese really has it all!
Key Ingredients For This Salad with Chicken and Goat Cheese
Chicken Breasts
Adding lean protein to a salad takes it from a side dish to a meal by making it filling and yummy. Leftover steak, chicken, salmon or tofu are perfect additions, as well.
Strawberries
Fruit adds such an awesome pop of sweetness to salads. In addition to strawberries, blueberries, clementines, pears and apples are also great options. As an added bonus strawberries provide 160 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.
Goat Cheese
I added a little goat cheese for a tangy contrast in both color and texture. Cheese adds a creaminess and depth of flavor that can’t be beat. Try sharp cheddar, blue cheese, and feta, too.
Other Ingredients For This Recipe
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 8 cups mesclun greens or baby lettuces
- 1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons honey mustard
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Step By Step Instructions For this Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad
Step 1: Poach and slice the chicken.
Place chicken in a medium skillet and cover with water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the poaching liquid and cool completely before slicing.
Step 2: Arrange the remaining salad ingredients on a platter.
Meanwhile, arrange greens, strawberries, goat cheese and cashews on a large platter.
Step 3: Make the vinaigrette, finish assembling the salad and serve.
Whisk the vinegar, shallot, honey mustard and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk in oil and season with pepper. Top salad with chicken and drizzle with dressing.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Strawberries or other fruits are great in salads because their sweetness compliments herbs like basil and tarragon and offsets the tanginess of the vinaigrette and bitterness of the greens.
The main difference is that goat cheese is made from goats’ milk and feta is made from sheeps’ milk and cured in a brine. Goat cheese has a more earthy flavor while feta is more tangy and salty from the brining process.
All of the components can be made and prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in separate containers. Assemble the salad and drizzle with the vinaigrette just before serving.
Additional Salad Recipes To Try
- This Grilled Corn and Peach Cob Salad is a super yummy power salad!
- Check out this Blackberry Chicken with sweet, tart and savory blackberry butter sauce. It’s a real show stopper!
- Meet my Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad… it is crave-worthy delicious.
- This Spinach Salad with Steak Onion and Date is topped with grass fed steak, onion and date kebabs with orange dressing and crumbled blue cheese over spinach and arugula. It’s Gluten free and low carb!
- This Salmon Niciose recipe is chocked full of hard boiled eggs, green beans, olives, potatoes and radishes. And the salmon is baked smothered in pesto.
- This Chopped Salad with Tomatoes Olives and Tuna is my favorite fast and healthy lunch!
Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter where I share weeknight meal plans delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on Instagram. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Print Mesclun Greens Salad with Chevre, Cashews, Chicken and Strawberries
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 entree servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Green Salad with Chicken, Strawberries and Goat Cheese is an awesome entree salad for your next brunch, lunch or dinner. Bonus that it is also low carb and gluten free!
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 8 cups mesclun greens or baby lettuces
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons honey mustard
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken in a medium skillet and cover with water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the poaching liquid and cool completely before slicing.
- Meanwhile, arrange greens, strawberries, goat cheese and cashews on a large platter.
- Whisk vinegar, shallot, honey mustard and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk in oil and season with pepper. Top salad with chicken and drizzle with dressing.
Notes
To Make Ahead
All of the components can be made and prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in separate containers. Assemble the salad and drizzle with the vinaigrette just before serving.
0.8 g added sugar, 105 mg cholesterol
Nutrition
- Calories: 444
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 534 mg
- Fat: 23.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.6 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 42.6 g
This is a fabulous salad! The combo of goat cheese and strawberry is outstanding!
★★★★★
This is my perfect salad! I have to make this again!
★★★★★
Beautiful and delicious! A great salad to serve all summer!
★★★★★
I love the combo of strawberries and goat cheese! Such a healthy bright meal.
Hi Patrick. Thanks so much! I love the combo as well. I have been wanting to try it with some other applications as well.
I’m loving salads right now and this look so good! It’s such a nice change after winter to be able to eat lighter food like this.
I totally agree that salads are great in May. I’m planning on salad for dinner tonight, myself!
Strawberries and goat cheese sound like an interesting pairing! I will have to try this out for myself.
It is so good together. I have been wanting to try the combo in other ways too! Stay tuned for more.
I love adding strawberries to salads. They add so much flavour with little extra calories.
I do too! Glad you’re on team fruit in salad, as I know some folks hate it. I personally love the bright acidity and sweetness. It is such a great contrast to earthy goat cheese.
This salad looks and sounds delicious and perfect for a healthy dinner! I love how colorful it is – beautiful ♥
Thank you Natalie! This is a great time of year to have a big salad for dinner!