Strawberry, Almond, and Chicken Salad Recipe

For years, I thought I didn't like salads. They tasted gross and they never filled me up. To me, salads were pure diet food, not something I actually enjoyed.

Turns out, I was just eating the wrong kinds of salads.

After some trial and error, I discovered that I do actually like salads - they just have to be good ones. Like this strawberry, almond, and chicken salad, for example.

This salad is packed full of flavors and textures. The chicken is marinaded in spices to give it a bit of kick, and then broiled to make it the closest thing to grilled chicken you can get indoors. We then add some mozzarella cheese, some almonds for crunch, strawberries for sweetness, and finish it off with a tangy homemade salad dressing. The combination is delicious.

This salad is also very nutritious. The chicken and cheese give us lots of protein, the almonds and dressing give us plenty of healthy fats, and the strawberries and lettuce add lots of vitamins and antioxidants.

This salad is good and good for you, so let's dive right into making it!



Strawberry, Almond, and Chicken Salad
(makes 2 large salads)

- 4 cups chopped lettuce*
- 1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast**
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped almonds
- Mozzarella cheese, to taste, optional
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- This homemade salad dressing, prepared

 1. Start by adding your thinly sliced chicken breasts to a bowl with a lid. Drizzle in 1 tbs. olive oil, then add in 1/2 tsp. each of garlic power, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Put the lid on and shake to coat the chicken in oil and spices. Place in fridge to marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, or for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Prepare toppings. Chop lettuce, strawberries, and almonds, and grate cheese if needed.

3. Turn your oven's broiler to high. Move your oven rack to the second to highest level.

4. Remove chicken breasts from fridge and place on a greased cookie sheet. Broil for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

5. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Assemble salad. Add lettuce to plate and sprinkle with cheese, chopped almonds, strawberries, and chicken. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!


And there you have it! A delicious, nutritious salad that can be made in about 30 minutes - perfect for a busy weeknight meal! Enjoy!

* I would recommend using a lettuce such as romaine or green leaf, as opposed to iceberg, as these lettuces are more nutritious and tend to taste better, but of course this is optional.

** It is absolutely critical that your chicken breasts are sliced very thin. Because we're broiling the chicken, it is cooking very fast under very direct heat. If the chicken is thick, by the time the center is cooked, the outside will be burnt because of that direct heat. Slicing the chicken thinly ensures the chicken cooks evenly and stays juicy and moist.