The Best Salad Recipes With Chicken
From baked to grilled and even shredded, theres so many ways to add chicken to your salad. The key here is to nail down how you cook the chicken and how its presented in each bowl. Heres a few favorites:
- Mandarin Chicken Salad: Shredded chicken marinated in a lemon vinaigrette is piled high with sweet mandarins, avocado, and crunchy toppings. The perfect throw-together salad.
- Southwest Chicken Salad: If earthy, bold flavors are your jam, this salad will have you salivating. Cilantro lime chicken is topped on a bed of greens, tomatoes, corn, beans, onions, and drizzled with a creamy avocado dressing.
- Greek Chicken Salad: Think Greek side salad turned into a hearty main dish. Its all the flavors you love, plus savory chicken.
- Cobb Salad: This classic American salad makes the most of simple ingredients like poached chicken, eggs, avocado, and of course, bacon.
Dont Just Dress The Saladtoss It
Theres a reason that most restaurants serve their salads pre-tossed in dressing. It coats each leaf, preparing the greens so they taste perfectly seasoned. Youre not doing yourself any favors by just drizzling the dressing on your greens, so dirty up an extra bowl and toss em up right before youre ready to serve!
Everyday Side Salad Ingredients:
As I mentioned above, the base ingredients in this salad are all incredibly flexible. So feel free to use whatever you love best or have on hand! You will just need some type of
- Fresh greens: I tend to go with spring greens, baby arugula, or some sort of mixed greens for this salad. But any greens that you love best will work.
- English cucumber: We always keep a few English cucs in the refrigerator because they are easy to work with , they last for quite awhile in the crisper drawer , and they always taste so delicious with this salad! That said, feel free to use any type of cucumber that you prefer for this salad, or see other fresh veggie ideas below too.
- Red onion: If youve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I can never resist adding some thinly-sliced fresh red onions to my salads. But if you dont love them as much as I do, feel free to leave them out . Or to take the edge off of the red onion flavor, you can also briefly rinse the sliced onions in water before adding them to the salad.
- Nuts/seeds: Feel free to add in whatever nuts or seeds that you love best to give this tossed salad some extra crunch and protein! Were partial to salty pepitas, toasted pine nuts, or sunflower seeds in our house. But toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or any other favorite nuts/seeds would be delicious options too.
- Everyday dressing: See below!
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Fennel Salad With Parmesan
This delightful fennel salad is one anyone can enjoy despite any preconceptions, pairing the shaved raw vegetable with sweet apple, zingy lemon and savory Parmesan cheese. Delicate fennel fronds make a feathery garnish, and each bite is irresistibly crunchy with a pop of acidity.
Heres a standout fall or winter salad starring everyones favorite ingredient: Butternut Squash Salad! This one is a symphony in a bowl: hearty sweet squash pairs with crisp apple, chewy cranberries and a citrusy orange vinaigrette.
Make The Salad Dressing
Youd be surprised how quickly a dressing can come together. Fresh ingredients give the dressing an extra punch of flavor youll be hard-pressed to find in a bottle. The classic ratio for basic homemade vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part vinegar. However, you can skew it more towards two to one if you like your dressings on the acidic side.
Once you know the ratio, you can mix and match with lots of ingredients. Whisk in mustard or honey to keep it emulsified, or add flavor with chili flakes, shallots, and herbs the possibilities are endless.
Get the recipes:6 Salad Dressings to Know By Heart
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Endive Salad With Parmesan & Orange
Try this Endive Salad: equal parts refreshing, tangy, bitter, crunchy, and tangy! Bitter endive pairs perfectly with juicy orange and a sweet tart red wine vinaigrette. Top it off with savory Parmesan shavings and crunchy almonds, and the contrasts are divine. Each bite is crunchy, sweet, savory and citrusy.
Tips For The Best Bean Salad
- Use from scratch beans: While the convenience of canned beans is nice, you will be amazed at the taste difference when you make your beans from dried! Try making beans in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
- Add dressing to warm beans: It will help absorb the flavor of your dressing better! If you are starting with cold beans, warm them quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop, then add dressing.
- Make it the night before: Bean salads are the perfect make ahead salad for dinner the next night! The flavors will meld together, producing a very flavorful salad. If the recipe calls for diced avocado or fruit, add right before serving.
- Bold flavors: Fresh, fresh, fresh salad ingredients like herbs, vegetables, garlic, onion, freshly grated cheese all taste best etc!
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Everyones Favorite Salad Recipes
Lets start with some of my top salad recipes that everyone always comes back to. Theyre crazy good, perfect for any occasion , and are so darn easy to make.
- Broccoli Salad: No joke, this is everyones go-to salad, no matter what time of year it is. Its perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish or summer barbecue salad. Plus, it holds up well in the fridge as the perfect meal prep salad.
- Tuna Salad: If you love my chicken salad, this tuna version is a no brainer. And all you really need is canned tuna, mayo, dijon mustard, and some fresh greens and herbs.
- Salmon Salad: And if you love tuna salad, youll absolutely love this salmon salad recipe . Flaky salmon is mixed with crisp celery, red onion, radishes, herbs and a creamy, lemon dressing.
- Chicken Salad: When the warm weather hits, this chicken salad is a must. Its deliciously creamy, crunchy, fresh, and will convince you to never buy store-bought chicken salad again.
- Caprese Salad: Ill gladly eat layers of fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil on repeat. Just drizzle a little balsamic glaze for a summer classic that never fails to please.
Add Some Color And Variety
Baby carrots are a convenient salad item. You dont have to wash or peel them!
However, do take the time to chop them into little pieces.
You can chop them quickly with a chefs knife or use a mini chopper or food processor to mince them more finely.
Red, yellow or orange bell peppers add color and a snappy crunch.
Slice the pepper in half and then pull the seeds and stem out/off in one motion. Slice the pepper into long strips and then chop the strips into smaller pieces.
Red onions provide a little kick.
Slice off the top and bottom of the onion and remove the outer skin. Slice the onion in half and then slice each half into long slices lengthwise.
Chop the long slices into smaller pieces.
You can also use a mini chopper or food processor to quickly mince the onion into finer pieces if desired.
Cucumbers add a cool crunch. The trick is to remove the seeds.
Cut of the ends of the cucumber and then peel the skin with a vegetable peeler.
If its a fresh organic cucumber you can opt to leave the skin on and just give it a good scrubbing!
Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and then slice each piece in half again. With the seed side facing down, angle the knife to remove the seeds from each piece by slicing from the side.
Then slice each piece in half lengthwise and chop the two pieces into smaller pieces.
If you are using a larger tomato, chop it into smaller chunks.
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Layered Blue Cheese Bacon And Iceberg Salad
What’s better than a classic wedge? One that’s stacked with all the usual suspects, plus some new friends. Carrots add just the right amount of color and root-veggie crunchiness. You can toss the salad with ranch or French dressing if you don’t have blue cheese on hand.
Get the Recipe: Layered Blue Cheese, Bacon and Iceberg Salad
How To Make Homemade Salad Dressing
Each of these recipes are made with minimal ingredients. There are a few ways to mix up homemade salad dressings:
- Put all of the ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up! I like using this method for oil-based dressings like vinaigrettes.
- Put all of the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend! I like using this method for creamier dressings that use ingredients like avocado but it also works great for vinaigrettes!
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What Goes With Chicken Cutlets
Chicken cutlets are a popular dish that can be enjoyed either with or without sauce. They are easy to cook and can be enjoyed with or without a side of gravy. Whether you choose to serve them with or without gravy is up to you, but whether you add in some herbs and spices is also up to you.
One option for enjoying chicken cutlets is by itself, as it is simple to cook and can be enjoyed with or without gravy. Another option is by adding in some herbs and spices such as garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder. This will give your chicken cutlets a bit of flavor that will make them enjoyable.
Why Should I Make Homemade Salad Dressings
Salad dressings are super easy to make at home, and I think learning how to make your favorite salad dressings in your own kitchen is a super useful skill to have. Itll save you tons of cash. The markup on bottled salad dressings is OUTRAGEOUSmost of them you can make for pennies on the dollar.
You can also completely control the ingredients. Have you ever cruised the salad dressing aisle and checked ingredient lists? Many of them are packed with artificial colors and flavors, which just arent necessary
And my favorite part is that you can completely customize the taste to your liking. Once you land on your house dressing that is perfect for your familys tastebuds, you always will have that recipe in your pocket.
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Tips For Storing Salad
- Make ahead instructions: Almost all of these salads can be made ahead of time. My biggest suggestion is to store the ingredients separately from the dressing, and toss when ready to serve. To prep ahead of time, you can chop up all the ingredients and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- How to store: If you do have leftovers, most salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Refer to the specific recipe post for complete storing instructions.
- How to customize. Most salad recipes are versatile and completely customizable. You can add in different vegetables or add in extra protein such as grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, salmon, or tofu.
Salads And Food Intolerances
Lets clear something up right away. A food intolerance and a food allergy are two different conditions that can have similar symptoms . As the Mayo Clinic explains, food intolerances usually involve the digestive system, while food allergies involve the immune system. Also, food intolerances tend to be less severe than food allergies. Nevertheless, you should be aware of potential salad ingredients that can trigger food intolerant symptoms.
According to Healthline, some foods contain chemicals called histamines, which can be why some people have intolerances to certain foods. Common salad ingredients that are particularly high in histamines include aged cheeses, avocados, and vinegar. Both dried fruits and citrus fruits are also major sources of histamines. And if you like to add a little protein to your salad, just keep in mind that large amounts of histamines are in cured meats.
If you think you have an intolerance to a food that contains histamines, you might want to keep a food journal and note if you experience potential symptoms of histamine-related food intolerance. These include stomach cramps, hives, diarrhea, headaches, anxiety, and itching. Ones blood pressure becoming low and/or skin becoming flushed are also possible signs of a food intolerance involving histamine. And one more thing: Sometimes a person can have an intolerance to egg whites, so hard-boiled eggs in a salad might not be a good choice.
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Serving Salad To Young Children
None of my kids liked salads until they were at least four years old. We have some stubborn selective eaters, but our philosophy is that we serve whatever we serve for meals, and our kids are welcome to eat as much or as little as they like. We encourage everyone to try lots of new food, but we dont sweat it.
When they are old enough to understand usually around 4 years old we have a rule. They dont get seconds on anything else for dinner the pasta, chicken, bread, whatever until their salad is gone. If they are hungry enough for more bread, they are hungry enough to finish lettuce.
Now, they all prefer salad over any other vegetable dish.
In the end, our goal is to empower our kids to take care of their bodies as they grow up not make them eat whatever we put in front of them.
I share a TON of simple, empowering tips and recipes to help you save money and eat healthy with picky eaters in Picky Eater Playlist!
Food20 Summery Salad Recipes Bursting With Tomatoes Corn Fruit And More
Santarlas favorite salad order is one thats simple to make at home and starts with finding a good balance between nutrient-dense vegetables and heathy proteins.
For me, I like the spring mix because it has a mixture of everything and has high vitamins in it, whereas if you do a romaine lettuce, it really doesnt have as many nutrients in it, said Santarlas. Then mix in proteins like chicken and turkey because theyre low-calorie but high-protein.
I always add a raspberry vinaigrette because it gives it a lot of flavor and its low-calorie, he continued. You could also throw in broccoli or carrots, but thats up to you. And, I like a little bit of pecans and raspberries and goat cheese: Thats my go-to salad.
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+ Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes You Should Make At Home
Whenever I tell someone I love healthy food, the first thing they inevitably ask me is if I eat salad all day. Heres the truth for you: I actually dont really like salad that much. I am definitely not one of those people who grab a mixing bowl from the cabinet, dump in a bunch of greens, and happily go to town. I am not a rabbit, and I dont enjoy eating like one.
For me, for a salad to be good, it has to be something substantial. It has to have a great mix of flavors, textures, and really good dressing. I love veggies, but lets call a spade a spadeveggies can be boring-tastic if you dont do something to spice them up a little bit. And a good salad dressing goes a looooooong way to making veggies exciting .
But You Might Bewashing Them Wrong
Just because you own a salad spinner doesnt mean youre using it properly. Rather than soak leaves under a running faucet shower-style, give them a gentle bath: Youll remove grit without any bashing or waterlogging. Heres how its done:
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Consider Color When Choosing Toppings
We eat with our eyes first, so choosing colorful toppings will actually make your salad taste better! Think about the colors of the rainbow when selecting your toppings. Consider adding purple cabbage, red tomatoes or bell peppers, orange carrots or citrus wedges, yellow corn, white cheese, brown croutons or pale cucumbers to the mix.
More Side Salad Recipes:
If youre looking for more side salad inspiration, check out the rest of our simple everyday salad recipe collection, which includes simple recipes for Kale Salad, Italian Salad, Mexican Salad, Mediterranean Salad, and Sesame Slaw. Or feel free to check out some of our readers other favorite green salad recipes, including
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Serving Recommendations For Healthy Salad Ideas
While some salads are main dish dinner worthy, other salads are perfect as a side salad. Even when a salad is a meal you may want an appetizer to tide hungry appetites over until everything is ready.
- Casseroles: Great salad ideas really add a spot of fresh green to the table when served with cabbage roll casserole, ground turkey quinoa casserole and chicken zucchini casserole.
- Meatless meals: Enjoy a hearty veggie filled meal when you pair types of salad with zucchini potato bake, or chili mac.
Salad ideas really can be enjoyed at every meal . Have a salad for lunch, followed by a healthy snacks in the afternoon. Browse additional top healthy sides, or healthy lunch ideas to come up with your own healthy meal combination!
I hope you enjoy this amazing collection of healthy salad recipe ideas!