30-minute Grilled Chicken Salad with Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

You will absolutely love this refreshing yet simple salad. The versatile blackberry balsamic vinaigrette deliciously marinades the chicken and dresses the salad.

What I Love about this Salad

 Like many others, I have often felt unsatisfied or still hungry after eating a salad. This salad doesn’t leave me feeling that way at all! There are five elements a salad needs in order to provide sustenance. The first is a mixture of lettuces. I chose mixed greens with spinach for this recipe. Typically mixed greens include baby romaine, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, frisée, and radicchio. They provide a variety of vitamins such as vitamin A, C, and calcium. The second element is to add fruits and vegetables. I added fresh sliced avocado and of course the star of the entrée, blackberries. Avocado’s are rich in healthy fats while blackberries are packed with vitamin C and are high in fiber. For a change in texture, you can add something crunchy to your salad; pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds are all great options. Crumbled or shredded cheese also adds a contrast of texture to your dish. Blue cheese is a great choice for this salad because it helps balance out the sweetness of the maple sugared pecans. The fourth element is protein, which will help keep you full and energized. Lastly, you need a flavorful salad dressing to drizzle over your salad. A little of my balsamic blackberry vinaigrette goes a long way.

How to Make 30-minute Grilled Chicken Salad with Balsamic Blackberry Vinaigrette

Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Wash the blackberries and let them dry before making the dressing. You can use frozen blackberries if you have them available. If you use frozen ones, make sure to let them thaw before making the dressing.
2. For the blackberry balsamic vinaigrette: add all ingredients, except the olive oil to a small saucepan over low heat. Stir consistently for four minutes till warm. Remove pan from heat and use a whisk to break down the whole berries into smaller pieces. Whisk in olive oil until completely blended.
   

Grilled Chicken and Salad

1. Use half of the vinaigrette to marinate the chicken for at least two hours, if possible. If not, thirty minutes will do. You want to give the chicken enough time to absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette.
2. While the chicken is marinating or before grilling, mix together the maple syrup and pecans in a bowl. Place on a cookie sheet covered with foil and toast at 350 degrees for four minutes. They should be a golden brown color. As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top and let cool.
3. Grill the chicken breasts over low heat until cooked through and grill marks are present. The marinade will caramelize easily so it is important to grill the chicken on low heat until cooked through.
4. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then slice into thin medallions.
5. Assemble the rest of the salad ingredients and enjoy!

Spotify Playlist

This playlist contains pieces by folk, indie, and singer-songwriter artists. I wanted to create a chill playlist that would complement the simplicity of this dish.