This Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing you’ve ever tasted. Healthy, satisfying, and done in under 30 minutes!
Every summer, we simply cannot wait for our basil plants and baby tomatoes to explode. We plant a plethora of tomatoes, ranging from heirloom to sweet cherry babies.
Needless to say, Caprese is a summer staple around here. We’ve got sweet tomatoes, fresh basil, and tender mozzarella to balance it all out. All of it is always and forever drizzled with glorious homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. {Trust, there is just no store bought version that holds a candle to DIY balsamic dressing.}
Last week, I had sweet fresh corn on the cob and a mini mountain of avocados in the house. If I ever see either of those things at farmer’s markets or local stores, I tend to hoard them (Hello, Fresh Corn Salsa and Avocado Black Bean Salsa.)
Thus, chopped avocado and fresh cut corn jumped in the Caprese party. At this point, we might as well make it a meal. Grill up some chicken, and we’ve got a mouthwatering lunch or dinner good to go.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado:
How easy and healthy and yummy was that? 👆🏼
Pssst: This homemade honey balsamic dressing is truly spectacular. It’s so good, it’s like the Little Black Dress of the salad dressing world.
This is how it all goes down…
Of course, fresh ingredients are key.
Fresh mini balls of mozzarella cheese, grape/cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, and flavorful basil leaves.
Plenty of fresh garlic and onion in the honey balsamic dressing makes this the best balsamic-based dressing you’ve ever tasted. It is So. Good.
Creamy avocados lend a deliciously rich flavor to this salad. Combined with crisp kale, this salad provides a heroic boost of powerhouse nutrients.
To make all the omnivores happy, simply grill up some chicken breasts for extra protein. We’re partial to chicken tenderloins for flavor and tenderness, as well as super-quick cooking.
Did I mention the crazy awesome honey balsamic dressing? Yeah, drizzle that yumminess all over. Feel free to go crazy with it; it’s all good stuff your body and taste buds will love.
Here’s to your summer Caprese party. Enjoy.
Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 7 mins
- Total Time: 37 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: salad, main dish, side dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing you’ve ever tasted. Healthy, satisfying, and fast!
Ingredients
- For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 1 TB pure honey
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- For the Salad:
- 2 lbs chicken breast (tenderloins recommended)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups kale leaves or mixed greens
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup mini mozzarella balls, halved
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 2 avocados, diced and sprinkled with lime juice
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, shredded
- Other: Oil for grilling
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Cook the Chicken: Using paper towels, dry chicken breasts to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with a light layer of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, pressing to adhere the spices. Grease outdoor grill or indoor grill pan; heat grill until oil is hot. Grill chicken just until both sides are evenly grill-marked and center is no longer pink; don’t overcook. Transfer to cutting board and let sit 5-10 min. before slicing.
- Assemble Salad: Meanwhile, combine the kale, tomatoes, mozzarella, corn, avocado, and basil leaves in a large salad bowl. Slice grilled chicken and add to the salad. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad; toss gently, adding more dressing as needed. Add more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired. Serve.
Notes
If using kale as the salad base, this salad keeps well for several hours; it’s fantastic as a make-ahead salad.
Make it meatless by omitting the chicken; it’s still delicious.
kitchen essentials:
Sensational Salads:
3. Strawberry Asparagus Farro Salad
4. Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
5. Easiest Summer Italian Pasta Salad
What a super, delicious meal Amy. I could live on salads like this every day and I’ll be trying out your balsamic dressing. It sounds to die for
Thank you so much, Michelle
This is definitely my type of salad!! So light, healthy and perfect for summer. Can’t wait to give it a try this holiday weekend!!
Yay, glad you like it, Kim! Happy 4th
Yeah that’s perfect light lunch or supper!! I’ll be making this soon
Hope you love it as much as we do!
This looks delicious and you have done a great job using images to create the steps to put it together. I am going to make it just minus the chicken as I am vegetarian, I think grilled tofu would fit in fine 🙂 . Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Yes, tofu, edamame, or beans would all be a fab vegetarian sub
Oh this looks incredible! I love caprese, and this salad looks perfect!
This looks so delicious! About to pin it….I plan on making the dish sometime this week I believe the entire family would enjoy this one…thanks for sharing!
So glad you like it!!
that dressing sounds amazing!
Thanks so much!
This salad sounds absolutely amazing. Actually, they all sound amazing. I have been looking for a good balsamic dressing recipe within the week. So that issue has now been deliciously solved. Yum.
Yay, so glad you like it, Regina! Thanks for coming over today
These salads are calling my name! I’m going to bookmark this for meal planning.
Yay, thanks Elizabeth! And thanks for being here today
We have the same blog theme. I had to look twice. Lol
LOL, Tali. That always happens to me too!
This looks so good. I will be trying this dish out this coming summer. Thanks!
Hope you love it as much as we do!