Here’s a summer salad recipe that you must try! >> Grilled Chicken Summer Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
There are so many things that I wanted to include in the title for this salad, but Google makes you come up with something sort of short and succinct, so a summer salad it is! Let me describe it for you: It begins with fresh greens. Fresh peaches, raspberries and a little cheese are added in. It’s topped with grilled pesto chicken and grilled corn, and a few simple-to-make candied sunflower seeds are sprinkled in too. The whole thing is tossed with Newman’s Own® Balsamic Vinaigrette.
The greens of choice for almost every salad I make at home are a mixture of red leaf and green leaf lettuce. I love how pretty it is, they provide the perfect amount of crunch, and everyone in my house is happy about these greens!
Here’s a special addition I made to my salad recipe: Candied Sunflower Seeds. I just sauteed them with a little bit of sugar to add some sweetness to the salad, and they pair wonderfully with the sweet fruit too.
I served this salad at a backyard barbecue last weekend, and my friend Rachelle told me that the Newman’s Own Balsamic is the only salad dressing she ever uses. That was a nice surprise! This salad is perfect blended with their balsamic dressing.
Lots of summery goodness is hiding in this salad recipe!
Grilled Chicken Summer Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs, trimmed
- ½ cup prepared pesto
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
- 1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and torn
- 1 cup sliced fresh peaches
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 ears fresh corn
- ½ cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette
Instructions
- In a large zip baggie, combine the chicken and the pesto. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- While the chicken is marinating, prepare the rest of the salad. Place the greens in a large bowl and toss together. Add peaches, raspberries and cheese to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a medium skillet, combine the sunflower seeds and sugar over medium heat. Stir often until the sugar melts and coats the sunflower seeds as they become toasted. Remove from the pan onto a paper towel to let cool.
- Remove the chicken from the zip bag and grill over medium heat until done. Grill the corn at the same time, just enough to get some grill marks all around.
- Slice the chicken and add to the salad. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the salad. Scatter the candied sunflower seeds on top. Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette on top and toss (you may choose to use less vinaigrette, depending on your preference). Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more summer salad recipes you might enjoy:
- Summer Nectarine Salad by Honestly Yum
- Thai Summer Salad by RecipeGirl
- Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp by Healthy Delicious
- Blueberry- Corn Salad with Prosciutto by RecipeGirl
- Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad by A Family Feast
I have a tree in my backyard full of peaches that are just on the cusp of being ready to pick. I can not wait to make this salad! And whoa! What a great contest going on!! How awesome is that?!
Love this salad!! Thank you!1
Summer salads are the best! This is gorgeous, love the berries and dressing!
I seriously love everything about this salad!! It’s gorgeous. And who doesn’t love Newman’s Own dressings!
I love fresh fruit on a summer salad! This looks incredible!
Mmmmm. We are going to pick raspberries later this week. I think this will need to be dinner that nigh.
What a perfect summer salad!