Monday, July 15, 2019

Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette #BlueberryWeek

This delicious main dish salad of mixed greens tossed with fresh blueberries, peaches, cucumbers, cheese, dried cranberries and candied greens is topped with citrus marinated grilled chicken breasts and drizzled with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette.


The Festive Foodies are celebrating Blueberries all week long.......

Ellen of Family Around the Table is hosting a week long event to celebrate National Blueberry month.  We have a slew of bloggers sharing their favorite blueberry recipes each day.  I'm joining in the fun today with this delicious main dish salad perfect for these hot summer nights.

Look at the wonderful Blueberry Week Recipes being shared today.   I can't wait to check them out.

Breakfast
Drinks and Appetizers
Sauces and Spreads
Dinner
Dessert

As you can see, I am starting the week off with a Main Course.  Tomorrow I am sharing a cocktail that you can serve up with the salad and on Friday I will be sharing a dessert that you can enjoy after this delicious entree.


Start out by marinating skinless, boneless chicken breast in a citrus marinade for about 15 minutes before putting it on the grill.


While the chicken cooks, compose your salad.  I used mixed greens, fresh peach slices, fresh blueberries, cucumbers, dried cranberries, candied pecans and shredded colby jack cheese.


The blueberry vinaigrette whips up in moments in a blender.  Mine was fairly thick which was my desired consistency but you can thin yours, if you prefer, by adding a bit of orange juice to it.


I sliced the chicken and served it separately as I had vegetarians joining us for dinner.  This enabled those who wanted chicken to help themselves.


I did want chicken so I piled it on top of my salad and drizzled a good portion of the vinaigrette on top.  It was a truly amazing dinner.  Perfect for a hot summer night.


The great thing about recipes like this is that you can make them your own.  Add whatever veggies and fruits you like to the salad.  I would absolutely recommend the marinade for the chicken but you can certainly omit it if you want.  Please make sure you try the vinaigrette though.  It is sure to become a summertime staple....sooooooo good.



#blueberries, #salad, #maincoursesalads, #chicken, #peaches, #vinaigrette, #cheese,
Entrees, Main Course Salads, Salad
American
Yield: 8 Servings
Author:

Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

prep time: cook time: total time:
This delicious main dish salad of mixed greens tossed with fresh blueberries, peaches, cucumbers, cheese, dried cranberries and candied greens is topped with citrus marinated grilled chicken breasts and drizzled with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette.

ingredients:

  • 6  large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Juice of 1 large orange
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 12 c. mixed greens
  • 1 English cucumber, washed and thinly sliced
  • 2 peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 1 pt. blueberries, divided
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries
  • 1/2 c. candied pecans
  • 1 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1 T. orange juice
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

instructions:

How to cook Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

  1. Place the juice of one orange with the 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large bag that seals shut.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake to combine.  Add the chicken breasts, release the air and seal, coating the breasts with the liquid.  Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. 
  2. Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium hot heat for about 10 minutes per side, until an internal temperature of 165* is reached in the thickest part of the breast.  Set aside to rest as you compose the rest of the dish.
  3. Remove 1 cup of the blueberries and place into a heavy duty blender with the balsamic vinegar, honey, orange juice and 1/2 c. olive oil.  Puree until smooth, taste and season with salt and pepper.  Add more orange juice for a thinner dressing.
  4. Place the salad greens onto a large platter, sprinkle with the peaches, remaining blueberries, cucumber slices, cranberries, pecans and cheese.  
  5. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips, serve alongside the salad and pass the vinaigrette.
Calories
510.75
Fat (grams)
28.95
Sat. Fat (grams)
6.51
Carbs (grams)
30.69
Fiber (grams)
3.17
Net carbs
27.52
Sugar (grams)
24.58
Protein (grams)
33.61
Sodium (milligrams)
286.08
Cholesterol (grams)
89.50
Created using The Recipes Generator


21 comments:

  1. The peaches in that salad sound so wonderful with the grilled chicken and blueberry dressing!

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  2. I love all the flavors and ingredients in this salad -- so perfect for summer!

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  3. I love a salad that has chicken and fruit. This is beautiful and I love the blueberry dressing!

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  4. Yess!! blueberry vinaigrette is the best. I can see myself using this on a grilled chicken or flank steak salad!

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  5. Oh I love this Blueberry Vinaigrette! YUM!This salad looks incredible!

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  6. I love adding fruit to my salads! This looks so fresh and perfect for summer!

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  7. I love fruit in my salads and my dressing. This sounds yum

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  8. What a delicious dressing! I love fruit in my salads with a little blue cheese. I think the combo of savory and sweet is so good!

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    Replies
    1. I'm a blue cheese lover too, unfortunately the rest of my family is not.

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  9. Now, this is what I need for dinner. I'm getting a little tired of snacks for dinner!

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    Replies
    1. This has enough goodies in it to make it taste like a snack but contains lots nutrition as well.

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  10. I love fruit-based vinaigrettes and a blueberry vinaigrette sounds amazing - and perfect for summer!

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  11. What a delicious looking salad. And that vinaigrette looks packed with blueberry flavor.

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