Chicken, Strawberry and Apple Summer Salad

This spinach salad, studded with roasted chicken breast, fresh strawberries and apples, tastes like the summertime! Topped with a sweet and simple Honey Vinaigrette and toasted Ramen Noodles, this salad is perfect for a crowd or a quick lunch.

When I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of my daughter in March, my sweet tooth was out of control.

I’m talkin’ devouring a box of Oreo’s in two days out of control.

I was a bit stressed, you see. And while I’m normally good on deadline, the wait for my baby and body to get the show on the road was driving me bonkers. And I really did NOT want to be induced.

Spoiler alert: I was induced, and it all worked out. But I was really freaking out about it when I hit my due date, and I had no baby to show for it even though I was assured by my doc that most first time mama’s generally need 41 weeks instead of the traditional 40.

One fateful day, I decided that instead of eating all of the cookies, I’d make myself a naturally sweet salad for lunch instead. It was simple — calling for strawberries, an apple, chicken and spinach — and it fit the bill, staving off my sweet tooth and probably preventing an additional 5+ pounds of pregnancy weight.

In fact, I enjoyed this salad so much that it’s carried into motherhood.

My days revolve around my daughter and her schedule now. Which means I don’t have a lot of time for myself, especially since she’s awake for longer periods during the daytime hours. Lady Baby likes to be held, and I want to hold her and snuggle her as often as possible before she gets too big and too cool to want to snuggle with her mama.

Since I’m running on a lack of time for myself and a lack of time to cook, I try to get things together on the weekends, and I prep the ingredients for this salad, which I eat for lunch most every day because it’s so simple and delicious.

I slice up several pounds of strawberries. (Umm, I’m still eating strawberries like they are going out of style.) I bake up a few chicken breasts, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, then shred them once they’ve cooled. I crush the Ramen noodles, browning them in unsalted butter. I wash the apples so they’re ready to be chopped the day of (because nobody wants a browned apple in their salad.) And I mix up a ton of the salad dressing, too.

It’s easy. It’s delicious. And it’s waaaaaaaaaaaay better for me than my other option: something from a drive thru. Because if I don’t have all the ingredients basically ready to go? I’m picking something up. And more than likely, it’s going to be fried.

So. If you’re like me and are looking for a good summer salad that has some natural sweetness to it, let me recommend my Chicken, Strawberry and Apple Summer Salad. It’s pretty stellar, and here’s how you can make it:

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Yield: 2 servings

Chicken, Strawberry and Apple Summer Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Spinach salad, studded with roasted chicken breast, fresh strawberries and apples, tastes like the summertime! Topped with a sweet and simple Honey Vinaigrette and toasted Ramen Noodles, this salad is perfect for a crowd or a quick lunch.

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Ingredients

Salad

• 3 large handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 chicken breast, roasted and shredded
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, diced
• ½ package Ramen Noodles, crushed and toasted in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (without the flavor packet)

Honey Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a mason jar, combine the ingredients for the honey vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper, then stir until combined. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss the spinach, chicken, strawberries and apple with tongs. Drizzle in the vinaigrette, tossing until all ingredients are coated in the dressing.
3. Serve on individual plates and top with the crisped Ramen noodles.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 485Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 640mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 6gSugar: 23gProtein: 23g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

Do you enjoy sweet salads, too?

What is your favorite summer salad?