Strawberry Spring Salad

Hey, guys! How is your week going so far? I hope all is well in your necks of the woods. Here is a Springy salad for ya:

This salad makes a lovely lunch. You could also omit the chicken and serve it as a side salad for dinner. Enjoy!

Recipe (yield 6-8):

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lb strawberries, rinsed and sliced thinly

2 10 oz containers lettuce you (I like to do 1 container of romaine for the crunch and then for the other container I use a green leafy variety)

1 4 oz container Blue cheese crumbles

1 2.25 oz bag sliced almonds (find these in the baking section)

1 16 oz bottle Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette

To prepare the chicken breasts, I like to marinate them in a little of the Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. Place chicken breasts in a bag or container and splash about 1/4 cup-1/2 cup in with the chicken. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least an hour (you can always go longer if your situation permits).

When the chicken has finished marinating, remove from fridge. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. If you have a grill pan, use that. When the skillet is hot, add chicken and let sear for 3 minutes on each side. Turn heat down to medium-low, cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until done. The chicken breast should feel firm.

Remove chicken to a cutting board. And tent with tinfoil. Set aside.

In a large salad bowl, add lettuces, strawberries, blue cheese. Toss to combine.

Remove foil from chicken. You can either slice it thinly or shred it. I opted to shred mine.

Place shredded chicken in salad bowl with other ingredients.

Pour dressing over the top of chicken. Start with 1/8 cup and then add more as needed, but be careful not to over do it. Toss to combine and coat.

Serve immediately.

Side notes and variations: You can always candy the almonds (if you are going to candy the almonds I would suggest using whole almonds, not sliced), which is a delicious option. You could also use walnuts instead of almonds. Both are delicious!

image by Briana