Eat. Your. Veggies! I definitely didn’t like #vegetables as a kid, and I didn’t count #salads as meals until pretty recently. It took @panera’s seasonal Strawberry Poppyseed Salad to convert me, and now you can catch me eating this #salad pretty regularly! You can easily duplicate this #recipe at home using some grilled #chicken, fresh #fruit, and a homemade #poppyseed dressing. It’s super easy and quick to whip up and tastes refreshing and #delicious – perfect for a hot #summer day!
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 cups butter (bibb) lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup pineapple, sliced
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup mandarin oranges
- 1/4 cup roast pecans (or other nut of choice), chopped
Poppy Seed Dressing
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar works too)
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a baking dish or ziploc bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour it over the chicken, making sure it's coated evenly. Marinate the chicken at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Heat grill to medium-high, and grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, until an internal thermometer reads 165°F. Remove from the grill and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
- In a large bowl, toss the butter lettuce with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, and oranges, and toss until combined. Add the chicken and pecans on top and drizzle the dressing over the salad.
- Enjoy!
Poppy Seed Dressing
- Combine the vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, honey, shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper into a food processor or blender, and blend until fully combined. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and fully combined. Stir in the poppy seeds.
Notes
For maximum flavor, make sure you marinate the chicken overnight before grilling up and serving. However, this salad still tastes great with any basic grilled chicken, so don’t worry if all you’ve got is some leftover chicken breast looking to not go wasted – it’ll do just fine.
