Balsamic Chicken Salad

Turn your salad into a main course with this flavorful Balsamic Chicken Salad from The Healthy Maven. Between the fresh figs, crunchy candied pecans and creamy goat cheese, the thought of having salad for dinner will never be so blah again.

under 45 mins
breakfast
Updated on 6 January 2024

Ingredients for servings

    pecans

  • 2 cups raw Pecans halves

  • 2 tablespoons melted Coconut Oil or canola/grapeseed oil

  • 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

  • 0.25 teaspoon Sea Salt

    • chicken

  • 8 ounces Chicken Breast boneless & skinless

  • 0.25 cup Balsamic Vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

  • 0.5 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 Garlic Clove minced

    • salad

  • 5 cups Baby Spinach

  • 3 fresh Figs sliced

  • 2 Portobello Mushrooms sliced

  • 2 ounces Soft Goat Cheese crumbled

    • dressing

  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

  • 1.5 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

  • 1 teaspoon Honey

Directions

    For the pecans

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine pecans coconut oil, brown sugar and sea salt, mix well, and spread over baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, set aside 1/4 cup for salad and store the remaining pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.

    For the chicken

    • Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F.

  • Lay chopped portobello along the bottom of a baking pan. Place chicken on top of portobellos and pour remaining marinade over portobellos. Bake for 10 mins.

  • Remove from oven, flip chicken and bake for another 10 mins. Slice chicken.

    • For the dressing

    • Whisk all ingredients until well combined.

    For the salad

    • In a large bowl combine spinach, goat cheese, 1/4 cup of prepared pecans, portobellos and sliced chicken. Toss well with dressing and serve immediately.

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