Summer Grilled Chicken Power Salad with sweet blueberries, crumbled bacon and a lemon vinaigrette is the salad of summer!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
I've been on a seasonal power salad kick for the past couple of years! and after binge eating this salad below, it's official that it's this seasons honorary power salad. Summer Grilled Chicken Power Salad here we come.
Where do we even start? Bacon. Duh. This salad is many things but most importantly it's LOADED with flavor. That all starts with some crisped bacon. If you're not feeling the bacon, just omit that step and use some olive oil to cook the chicken. However if you're digging the bacon, you not only use the crispy bacon IN the salad, you use a little bit of the rendered fat to cook the herb crusted chicken. Talk about something being loaded with flavor. You can even use other leftover grilled chicken for this salad, like the yogurt marinated chicken skewers will add so much flavor.
Once those 2 proteins are taking care of, you can get into all the farmers market veggies. The bed of this salad is some gorgeous baby romaine lettuce I snagged from my farmers market, topped with raw corn (you guys know how I roll), plenty of blueberries, goat cheese and avocado. Done and done.
Everything gets tossed with a lemon champagne vinaigrette and you've pretty much sealed the deal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the Salad
- Thick Cut Bacon
- Blueberries
- Goat/Feta Cheese
- Basil Leaves
- Lettuce
- Corn on the Cob
- Avocados
For the Chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
- Dried Oregano
For the Lemon Champagne vinaigrette
- Garlic
- Dijon Mustard
- Champagne Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Honey
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt
- Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Power Salad
Step 1: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crispy and the fat is rendered.
Step 2: Remove the bacon and transfer it on a paper towel lined plate. Drain off most of the bacon grease, leaving just about 2 teaspoons.
Step 3: Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat with the fresh and dried herbs.
Step 4: In the same skillet, over medium-high heat, add the chicken to bacon grease and cook until golden and crisp on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Step 5: Remove the chicken and let rest. Slice into pieces when ready to serve.
Step 6: In a large bowl, assemble the salad. Start with the bed of lettuce, add the chicken, blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, torn up bacon, avocado and corn.
Step 8: Combine all the ingredients and whisk together. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad. Serve immediately.
How to Store Grilled Chicken Power Salad
You can store the grilled chicken thighs and bacon in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can store the vinaigrette for a week. I recommend storing all the components ready to go and assembling everything fresh when it is time to eat.
How to Freeze Grilled Chicken Power Salad
This vinaigrette freezes well and is great to have on hand. You can also freeze chicken breasts for 3 months packed well in freezer bags and dated.
Tips & Tricks
What is a power salad? It has all the protein and fiber you need to keep powering through your day! Swap out the vinaigrette depending on what you have on hand.
FAQs
Can I use frozen corn?
By all means! I just like to use fresh corn on the cob kernels when they are in season, but you can absolutely use frozen corn instead.
Can I use chicken breast instead?
Yes, you can substitute the thighs for chicken breast. The cooking time may vary.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Summer Grilled Chicken Power Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 pint blueberries
- ¼ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
- 1 handful small basil leaves
- 4 cups farmers market lettuce
- 2 corn on the cob kernels removed
- 1-2 avocados
For the Chicken
- ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
For the Lemon Champagne vinaigrette
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crispy and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and transfer it on a paper towel lined plate. Drain off most of the bacon grease, leaving just about 2 teaspoons.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat with the fresh and dried herbs. In the same skillet, over medium-high heat, add the chicken to bacon grease and cook until golden and crisp on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and let rest. Slice into pieces when ready to serve.
- In a large bowl, assemble the salad. Start with the bed of lettuce, add the chicken, blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, torn up bacon, avocado and corn. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
For the vinaigrette
- Combine all the ingredients and whisk together. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
Made this last night since I had marinated chicken thighs my husband had bbq the night before, followed the recipe other than the chicken, and did not put the cheese in mine since I cannot have dairy right now - amazing! We had neighbors over and they raved. Thank you for the easiest most delicious summer salad!
Absolutely delicious, 100% 10/10 perfect, I have a feeling I’ll be eating this a lot
Best salad I’ve ever made, hands down. Even my husband who isn’t a big salad lover was raving.
This one is a total winner! I avoid making the same recipe too often usually, but I’ve been making this every week lately. It’s filling but still light, and it is so delicious. The dressing is **chef’s kiss**.
What a fabulous fusion of flavors!!