Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad
Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad will make you fall in love at first bite! Chicken is tossed together with mozzarella cheese, sweet strawberries, fresh basil and plenty of balsamic reduction.
If you hearty flavorful salads try my easy recipes for Balsamic Glazed Salmon Salad and Greek Chicken Salad.
Table of Contents
As much as I love classic Caprese Salad, I think that this strawberry chicken salad might just be taking its place as my new favorite! Essentially, this is just like caprese, except we’re adding marinated chicken and swapping the tomatoes for strawberries. The balsamic glaze, fresh basil, and mozzarella are still true to form.
This fruity chicken salad is perfect for summertime – especially hot summers like this one! When the heat seems unbeatable, enjoy a light lunch that has enough protein to keep you full and fresh ingredients that won’t weigh you down. It’s also a huge hit at cookouts, picnics, and barbecues for that reason.
I love making strawberry recipes this time of year while they’re so juicy and ripe. While this chicken salad is a tried and true favorite, I also enjoy Strawberry Broccoli Salad for similar reasons. With all of the pumpkin and stew recipes just around the corner, it’s important to still celebrate the summer with refreshing recipes like these!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken Breasts – You can grill the marinated chicken or cook it on your stove top. Grilling chicken will give the salad an amazing smoky flavor!
Balsamic Vinegar – This is used to both marinate the chicken and to create the balsamic glaze. You can check out my post on how to make balsamic glaze and more info about it.
Mozzarella Cheese – For the best consistency and flavor, I recommend using fresh mozzarella cheese.
Strawberries – Fresh, ripe strawberries really shine in this salad. Don’t forget to rinse them with a little cold water prior to chopping them. If you have extra, save them to make some Strawberry Sauce for your pancakes or Strawberry Lemonade.
Basil – The flavor and aroma of fresh basil compliments this salad beautifully.
Pecans – This is an optional ingredient, but I love the added crunch that chopped pecans provide!
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Balsamic Chicken Salad
Marinate the chicken. Marinate the chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes before cooking (1).
Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with some salt. Place the marinated chicken in a pan over medium heat and cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked through (2, 3). Chicken should be cooked to 165° internal temperature.
Make the reduction. Preheat a small pot over medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pot and stir in the brown sugar. Let the mixture simmer (1) until it’s reduced enough to coat a spoon (2). It will reduce by about half the amount.
Let it cool. Take balsamic reduction out of the pot and pour it into a small bowl to cool down. Once it cools down, you can add it to the salad.
Prepare the ingredients. Chop fresh mozzarella cheese and strawberries and place them into a mixing bowl. Mince the basil and add it to the bowl as well. Once chicken is cooled enough to handle, chop chicken breasts and add it to the mixing bowl (4).
Add the reduction and toss. Season with some salt and add olive oil and balsamic reduction (5). Mix well (6).
How To Grill Chicken For This Salad
Marinate the chicken as instructed in the recipe first.
Make sure the grill grate is clean and seasoned. Prepare your grill to have two temperature zones and preheat the grill for about 10 minutes. (Or set your gas grill to medium.)
Cook chicken breasts over direct heat for 6-8 minutes per side. Exact time will depend on the size of each breast. Cook chicken until internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 165°. It’s best to use instant read digital meat thermometer to check the temperature.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any cut of chicken you prefer, chicken breast or thighs meat will work. You can also make this salad using turkey breast instead of chicken.
If you want to try some shrimp, you can substitute shrimp instead of chicken too. Cook the shrimp for 1-2 minutes on each side, just until they are opaque.
Spinach or kale is a great addition to this salad! (If using kale, remember to rub it with some olive oil first to soften it.)
You can also feel free to add almonds or walnuts in place of pecans.
You can experiment with different cheeses as well. Mozzarella is quite mild in flavor, but you can try a stronger cheese like cheddar.
I don’t recommend it. For the very best flavor and consistency, use fresh strawberries only. Frozen strawberries will be too soft and mushy once thawed.
Storing and Make Ahead Instructions
Storing:
This chicken salad is best eaten fresh, the same day it was made. If you do have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator in airtight container. Note that after a day, strawberries will start to soften and wilt pretty quickly. So don’t store it for more than 2 days.
Make Ahead:
You can make it ahead a day before, but only partially. You can store the cooked chicken and balsamic reduction in separate containers. When ready, combine the diced chicken, strawberries, cheese, and basil and dress with oil and balsamic reduction.
I recommend heating up the chicken a little before making the salad, and you may need to heat up balsamic reduction just to room temperature.
Tools For This Recipe
(Affiliate links)
Digital Instant Read Thermometer
Cutting Board – use plastic cutting board when working with raw meats!
More Easy Chicken Salad Recipes
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Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 8 oz strawberries
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- Optional: 2/3 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Marinade the chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes before cooking. Season with some salt and cook until done.
- *You can choose to grill the chicken or cook chicken on the stove top.*
- Once chicken is cooked, set is aside to cool down.
- Preheat a small pan over medium heat. Add balsamic vinegar to the heated pan and stir in brown sugar. Let the vinegar simmer until it is reduced enough to coat a spoon. (It will reduce by about half the amount.)
- Take balsamic reduction out of the pan and into a small bowl to cool down. Once it cools down, you can add it to the salad.
- Chop fresh mozzarella cheese and strawberries and place them into a mixing bowl.
- Mince basil and add it to the bowl as well.
- Once chicken is cooled enough to handle, chop chicken breasts and add it to the mixing bowl.
- Season with some salt and add olive oil and balsamic reduction. Mix well.
- Optional: stir in some chopped pecans for a little crunch!
- *This salad is recommended to consume the same day because strawberries will start to wilt after a day.*
Notes
Nutrition
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Such an unusual mix and both my hubby and I LOVED it!
This would change up my lunch salad routine!
Enjoy! 🙂
I’m looking for a yummy strawberry chicken salad to serve at a baby shower and this one definitely piqued my interest (and taste buds)! Just wondering how you think it would work along with spinach so I could stretch it to feed more people? Thanks!
Oh yes, Angie, feel free to mix in some fresh spinach! It will be great with this salad.