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Chicken & Grape Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing Recipe

Chicken & Grape Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing Recipe
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★★★★★

4.9 from 17 reviews

A fresh and flavorful Chicken & Grape Salad featuring tender chicken breast, crispy turkey bacon, sweet red grapes, creamy avocado, and blue cheese, all tossed in a vibrant maple balsamic dressing and topped with toasted spiced pecans for a delightful crunch.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients

  • 1–2 cups baby Romaine or green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
  • 2–3 oz raw chicken breast
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Cooking spray or neutral oil for the pan
  • 1 slice turkey bacon
  • 2 Tbsp thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 oz red grapes, halved
  • 1/2 oz avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 oz gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled (or substitute honey goat cheese)
  • 5–10 g spiced pecans or toasted spiced walnuts (with honey, salt, and cayenne), or toasted pine nuts

Dressing Ingredients

  • ~1 Tbsp broth or white wine for deglazing
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Prepare the chicken and bacon: Heat a skillet over medium heat, lightly coat with oil or cooking spray. Pound chicken breast to an even thickness and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until thoroughly cooked. Simultaneously cook turkey bacon in the same pan until crispy. Set both aside to cool.
  2. Deglaze the pan: Remove pan from heat and immediately add broth or white wine to deglaze. Stir to scrape up the browned bits from the pan and simmer for a few seconds until the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency. Transfer this glaze to a small bowl.
  3. Make the dressing: To the bowl containing the pan glaze, add Dijon mustard, aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk thoroughly until well combined.
  4. Toast the nuts: Lightly toast nuts of choice. For spiced walnuts, place walnuts on a sheet of foil, drizzle lightly with honey, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt (or black garlic salt) and cayenne pepper, then toast in a toaster oven until golden and fragrant.
  5. Assemble the salad: When the chicken and bacon have cooled, tear into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, sliced red onion, halved grapes, sliced avocado, crumbled cheese, torn chicken, torn turkey bacon, and toasted nuts.
  6. Toss and serve: Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat everything evenly. Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor.

Notes

  • Pound the chicken to an even thickness to ensure it cooks uniformly and stays juicy.
  • You can substitute gorgonzola with honey goat cheese for a milder flavor.
  • Adjust the sweetness of the dressing by varying the amount of maple syrup according to taste.
  • Use toasted spiced walnuts or pecans to add a crunchy texture and a hint of sweetness and spice.
  • Leftover cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator and added when ready to serve for convenience.
  • For a gluten-free version, ensure that the broth or white wine used for deglazing is gluten-free.

Nutrition

Keywords: Chicken grape salad, maple balsamic dressing, chicken salad with grapes, turkey bacon salad, spiced nut salad, healthy chicken salad

Find it online: https://kitchenbyclara.com/chicken-and-grape-salad-with-maple-balsamic-dressing-recipe/