Chicken Caprese Salad
This Chicken Caprese Salad is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing you've ever tasted. It's healthy, satisfying, and done in under 30 minutes!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup onion, minced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon pure honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon 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 cherry tomatoes, or grape 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
For the Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined. Cover and chill until ready to use.
For 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 chicken to cutting board and let sit 5-10 minutes before slicing.
For the Salad
- 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.
- The chicken can be cooked on the grill or on a grill pan. Cooking instructions are the same either way.
- Serve a big bowl of this Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and a slice of this Rosemary Garlic Bread next to Chicken Caprese Salad for a super satisfying lunch or dinner.
- Make sure not to skip the lime juice step for the avocados. The lime juice helps to prevent the avocados from browning as quickly once they've been sliced.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 1.663mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4.72IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 3mg