Grilled chicken and strawberry salad
In our 16 years together, some of the biggest arguments I've had with my husband have revolved around how to pronounce the names Erin or Aaron and Carrie or Kerry.
We鈥檝e nearly come to blows over the proper way to say crayon (It鈥檚 definitely not 鈥榗ran鈥�). And don鈥檛 even get me started on orange. I can acknowledge that there鈥檚 an 鈥榦r鈥� in the beginning of the word, so it could be pronounced like聽oar-inj, but that鈥檚 just not how I say it. And well鈥鈥檓 just going to go eat my R-enges now.
However you say it, sweet oranges make me think of summer. And it doesn鈥檛 get much more summery than this light spinach salad, topped with a tender grilled chicken breast, sweet mandarin oranges and fresh strawberries, dressed in a vibrant orange and poppy seed vinaigrette. It鈥檚 bright, fresh, and perfect if you鈥檙e watching your waistline for summer!
Grilled Chicken, Strawberry, and Spinach Salad in an Orange Poppy Vinaigrette
Makes 4 meal-sized salads
Juice and zest from 1 navel orange (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1-1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Pinch of salt
4 grilled chicken breasts (seasoned with salt and pepper), sliced
8 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (approximately)
8-10 strawberries, sliced
1 cup mandarin orange segments
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
To prepare the vinaigrette: Combine the orange juice, zest, vinegar, olive oil, honey and poppy seeds until well blended. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, to taste.
To assemble the salad: Toss the spinach leaves in some of the dressing. (Do not overdress.) Arrange a pile of the dressed spinach leaves on each plate. Top with the grilled chicken, red onions, strawberries, and oranges. Drizzle a little extra dressing over the chicken.
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