Nicknamed my POWER SALAD, this Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese is pretty much the best salad ever! Watch the video showing you how to make it this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post to print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
Oh, if I were a single girl, I’d eat salad every night for dinner. That’s how much I love the stuff. I’d eat mixed greens with berries and chicken. I’d eat arugula topped with salmon and drizzled with fresh lemon juice and olive oil. I’d eat crunchy romaine with roasted tomatoes, bacon and a generous dose of blue cheese dressing. And I’d eat a ton of spinach salads like this Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese.
I gave up my single life (and eating salads for dinner) 17 years ago. It’s pretty rare that I can actually get away with serving salad for dinner these days. Instead, my family wants their version of dinner, which means a plateful of three things: a meat, a starch and a vegetable (or a big bowl of pasta).
Having somewhat of a rebellious nature, I decided to go for it with this salad. I fed my family SALAD for dinner. I started with spinach… sliced it into slivers.
…and then I added tomatoes and corn…
…and plenty of avocado and chopped, cooked chicken…
….and goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
I drizzled a simple and tangy Dijon vinaigrette on top…
…and then I plated this Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese as dinner for my family. No meat/vegetable/starch meal for them on this night- just SALAD for dinner.
And guess what? They loved it 🙂
Here are a few more spinach salad recipes you might enjoy:
Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
SALAD:
- 8 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1½ cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
- ½ cup corn (canned, frozen or fresh off the cob)
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
DRESSING:
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss (a little at a time… as much dressing as you desire).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So bright and colorful. Love the corn and tomatoes pic!
Yum! I love finding new salad recipes. 🙂
Great salad Lori! Avocado makes everything better!
This is a salad I would happily eat for dinner…lots and lots of great flavors together. How great that your family agreed.
Looks so delicious and healthy! I was wondering if you have a preferred method for cooking chicken that can be used in various recipes like this one? It would be nice to cook a bunch of chicken on Sunday and use throughout the week. Thank you for another fabulous meal idea!
I usually just pan fry it. I spray a little bit of nonstick spray in a nonstick pan, coat the chicken breasts in garlic salt and pepper, put a lid on the pan and then cook on both sides for several minutes. Let it cool and then cut or shred it apart. That’s my go-to method!
Totally gorgeous! Love the pine nuts, well, I love everything in there!
ohhh Lori that looks good, I love having all my kids still at home, but I tell ya if they were not living here, I would be cooking different too…but I do love having them still here with Mama….
I bet that would be good with grilled salmon too…
This salad looks so incredibly delicious. I can totally see why your family loved it.
Simple, healthy, delish! I love the addition of pine nuts!
I’m not surprised they loved it! I wonder if I can sneak it past my boyfriend 😉