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Simply Delicious

Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Salad

ChickenGrillSummer

Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

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About

The full summer experience somehow fits into a single salad bowl with the Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Salad. If that isn't an invitation to enjoy it, we don't know what it is! Grilled chicken basted with a homemade strawberry-barbecue sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and savory, accented by the kiss of the flame. The salad itself is refreshing and light, with tangy bites of feta cheese and crunchy almonds, and it even has its own strawberry vinaigrette for the full berry-picking feeling! Balsamic Chicken & Strawberry Salad is seasonally scrumptious!

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Ingredients

  • neutral-flavored oil, to taste, for oiling the grill grates
  • 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered, divided
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon strawberry preserves
  • 1 pound chicken tenders
  • 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup almonds, sliced and toasted
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Step 2 -Using the neutral-flavored oil, lightly oil the grill grates.

Step 3 -In a blender, add 1 cup of the strawberries, the balsamic vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and blend until smooth.

Step 4 -With the blender on, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the strawberry mixture and blend until emulsified.

Step 5 -Transfer 1/2 cup of the strawberry mixture to a large bowl, reserving the rest in the blender. Set the bowl aside.

Step 6 -Add the ketchup and the preserves to the strawberry mixture in the blender and pulse until smooth.

Step 7 -Season the chicken tenders with the remaining salt and the remaining pepper.

Step 8 -Add the chicken tenders to the prepared grill and cook until they release easily from the grill, about 1-2 minutes.

Step 9 -Flip the chicken tenders.

Step 10 -Baste the chicken tenders with the strawberry mixture from the blender.

Step 11 -Cook the chicken tenders, while flipping and basting them with the strawberry mixture from the blender every 15-20 seconds, until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 12 -Transfer the chicken tenders to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken tenders into large pieces.

Step 13 -Add the spinach, the almonds, the feta, the basil, and the remaining 1 cup of the strawberries to the reserved strawberry mixture in the large bowl and toss to combine.

Step 14 -Serve the salad topped with the chicken slices.

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