Strawberry Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Loaded with summer juiciness. So loaded, and so TASTY.

Strawberries, pineapple, tender grilled chicken, creamy avocado, a little punch of crunch from pistachios...are you picking up what I'm putting down on your plate? If not, WHO are you? Totally kidding (kind of).

And there's a poppy seed dressing too. It's delightfully tangy and bright and yummy. You'll love how it pairs with the strawberries, the pineapple, the chicken, the whole beautiful salad, and then you'll just pour it on your face. So good.

• Strawberries: It wouldn't be a Strawberry Chicken Salad without the strawberries but other berries such as blueberries or raspberries would be awesome as well (or even in addition to the salad).
• Pineapple: There's nothing quite like fresh pineapple but if you're in a pinch and canned pineapple is what you have on hand, you'll be okay. Not sure how to slice a fresh pineapple? Scroll down further for a quick and easy tutorial.
• Chicken breast: I sliced two large chicken breasts in half lengthwise making four chicken cutlets and then pan-fried them. You could also bake or grill the chicken breasts whole and simply chop it up once cooked, or shred an already prepared rotisserie chicken, or use chicken tenders in place of breasts.
• Avocado: When shopping for the perfect avo place the fruit in the palm of your hand and give it a gentle squeeze. If you feel a slight give the avocado is ripe, if it is hard it will need to ripen for a few days, and if it is super soft it is already overripe and you should find a different avocado to take home.
• Goat cheese: Not a fan of goat cheese? Try feta or leave the cheese off all together.
• Pistachios: Adds a bit of crunch and a hint of slightly sweet nuttiness. Roasted and unsalted pistachios are my preference. Pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds, or pepitas would also be tasty substitutes.
• Romaine lettuce: Provides a nice crunchy texture and foundation to this salad but a simple spinach salad or mixed greens would work too.
• Chicken seasoning mix: This is my go-to all-purpose seasoning when I'm cooking chicken. I love that it doesn't contain salt so that I can control how much salt is in my meal. Feel free to use your fave seasoning though.
• Poppy seed dressing: With a handful of ingredients, this tasty homemade salad dressing is easy and comes together in just minutes (see the recipe card for details). There's no judgment though if you go with a store-bought dressing instead. Whatever makes dinnertime a little bit easier and fuss-free, right?!

For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: Cut off the crown and the base.

Step 2: Cut off the sides and trim off any of the eyes that may remain.

Step 3: Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters. Then slice down the triangular tip to remove the core.

Step 4: Lay the pineapple quarters with the flat side down on your cutting surface. Slice it up. If you prefer smaller pineapple chunks, slice the pineapple quarters in half lengthwise first, then slice it into chunks.

Step 1: Place the chicken breast on a cutting board, flat side down. Put the palm of your non-cutting hand on the top of the breast, and using a very sharp knife, slowly cut horizontally through the breast. Cut from one side to the other, leaving the side of the breast opposite of where you started intact. Open it up flat and cut down the middle creating 2 separate chicken breasts.

Step 2: Brush the chicken with olive oil front and back.

Step 3: Sprinkle each side of the chicken with seasoning.

Step 4: Add chicken to a heated pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until done.

Step 5: Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the pan and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Then cut across the grain into slices.

Step 6: Arrange all of the salad ingredients on a large platter or individual serving dishes and drizzle with poppy seed dressing. Dig in!

Tip #2: Wash your leafy greens but make sure you dry them well. Nothing ruins a salad faster than watery greens. A salad spinner is a worthwhile investment for quickly and efficiently drying your salad greens. If you don't have a salad spinner you can also gently blot the greens dry with a towel.

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