I have to be honest, I’ve never really been the type of girl to make herself a salad at home. I love getting them when I’m out but it feels like so much work once you get all the ingredients for toppings, cook the protein and then make a homemade dressing. Until this salad that is. This salad has a chokehold on me and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be in our weekly rotation this summer.

It’s filled with yummy strawberries, candied pecans, goat cheese and champagne vinaigrette and truly, every bite has something delicious. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take that long to make, even with making the dressing (I usually have my husband cook the chicken while I’m making everything else so that helps lol) so its ideal for a summer lunch or dinner.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Strawberry Pecan Summer Salad

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano or basil

For the Salad

• 1 bag or package of spring mix
• 1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

For the Pecans

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbs water

For the Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbs champagne vinegar
• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1.5 Tbs Honey
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

For the Chicken:

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin, pound out chicken until it is equal thickness (this helps the chicken cook evenly)
2. Season both sides with salt, pepper and dried oregano or basil.
3. Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium high heat with a little oil and sear the chicken for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-5 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.
4. Remove from heat and slice for topping the salad.

For the Pecans:

1. Combine all ingredients except the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat and stir frequently until bubbly and sugar is dissolved. About 1-2 minutes.
2. Add pecans and stir to coat, cooking for another 3 minutes (you may need to turn your heat down to make sure they dont burn!)
3. Pour pecans out onto parchment paper to cool and then once cooled, break apart to use as salad topping.

For the Dressing:

1. In a small blender (you can also use an emersion blender if you have one) combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
2. Set aside until ready to assemble salad.

Salad Assembly:

1. In a large bowl combine spring mix, pistachios, strawberries, and avocado.
2. Drizzle the champagne vinaigrette over the salad and toss.
3. Sprinkle the goat cheese and candied pecans on top.
4. Serve in big salad bowls and top with sliced chicken.
5. INHALE!