Grilled Chicken Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.
Here’s a sneak peek into my lunch world.
Because I cannot stop eating this strawberry poppyseed salad! I mean, I am eating it every day. It is to die for. Delicious. So fresh. Satisfying but not heavy. Major flavor bomb. And it’s also kind of a copycat panera strawberry poppyseed chicken salad. Secrets!
We’ve developed a once-a-week habit of going to (or bringing home) Panera because Max is obsessed with bagels at the moment. Like, they are probably his favorite food right now and for those of you with toddlers, if there is a favorite food that isn’t mac and cheese or hot dogs… we are ALL over it.
I didn’t eat at Panera for YEARS. I mean, maybe ten-ish years? After college, I burned myself out on it and wasn’t really interested in the options. I don’t love deli meat or cold sandwiches and for a long time, the salads were sad. Just couldn’t do it!
But then Eddie started grabbing lunch there occasionally and would mention it. And once Emilia was born, I think that is when we started getting it once a week or every other.
And while I’d love to get a massive bread bowl of soup every single time, it is super heavy and not really conducive to hot summer weather.
Enter that freaking strawberry poppyseed salad. It is SO good. Sometimes I get the strawberry poppyseed salad on its own. Sometimes I get the strawberry poppyseed salad with chicken. Even better.
There has never been a more SUMMER meal than this.
Here’s a peek at how you make this strawberry poppyseed salad in a video!
Now I will say! It is sweet. It is a really, really sweet salad. I practically feel like I’m eating dessert. It has strawberries, blueberries, oranges and pineapple. Plus a fairly sweet poppyseed dressing that I added lime and orange to. If you’re someone who wants more savory? This probably isn’t for you.
HOWEVER. It tastes insanely fantastic if you want a refreshing, fruit-based salad for summer.
The balsamic chicken grills up perfectly and tastes like heaven. It adds the best savory bite and I usually don’t even care about chicken. You could easily add shrimp or salmon too. A million options here for you bored millennials like me.
I could eat bowl after bowl after bowl of this salad and you can bet that I will for the rest of the season.
We went strawberry picking this past weekend and the abundance of fresh, wildly sweet strawberries makes me so happy. And believe it or now, more so than cobbler, this salad is my favorite way to consume the red gems.
I don’t even know me!
Grilled Chicken Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 cups torn butter lettuce
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries sliced
- 1 cup sliced pineapple
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup mandarin oranges
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted chasews
citrus poppyseed dressing
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a baking dish or a resealable bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour it over the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.
- Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per sides. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it thinly.
- In a large bowl, toss the butter lettuce with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the strawberries, pineapple, blueberries and oranges. Toss well. Add the chicken and cashews on top and drizzle on the dressing to serve.
citrus poppyseed dressing
- Combine the vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, honey, shallot, garlic, mustard powder, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until combined. With the processor on, stream in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and comes together. Stir in the poppy seeds with a spoon and serve. This stays great in the fridge for a few days!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Please please please please please go make this for lunch. K thanks bye!
43 Comments on “Grilled Chicken Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.”
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Oops, forgot to list poppy seed amount on recipe. Looks delicious and can’t wait for dinner tonight!😊
ahh thanks debbi! i fixed it! :)
What about the amount of lime juice? It just say 1/2 lime juice
It says, 1/2 a lime juiced. So 1/2 a like will work 😊
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Hello, summer salad perfection. I haven’t been to Panera in years.
i hadn’t either! this is SO good.
Although this looks insanely delicious I was a little disappointed when I re-read it and realized it didn’t say GRILLED CHESE Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad. Think it was my Preggo Brain hoping for the latter. HAHAHAHA :D
BAHAHAHAH
I am obsessed with the Panera version of this salad. I can’t wait to try yours!
thanks melissa!
This would be my mom’s favorite salad. She loves poppyseed dressing!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/aged-cheddar-sliders-with-pineapple-guacamole/
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This salad looks so refreshing and I plan on making it for dinner next week. Can you recommend a cheese that would go well with the salad that isn’t feta? Thanks!
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Most definitely trying this Jessica! It looks perfect for summer! Nice and light and refreshing!
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Serves as an excellent side salad to accent a seafood dish. So many flavors are intense. Thank you for this recipe. It was a big hit at our last party.
Made this tonight and my husband who “doesn’t eat salad” LOVED it. Said it was better than Panera. Definitely a keeper, thanks!!!
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We also LOVE this salad and copied it from Panera. Found the poppyseed dressing on line and modified it for
Our tastes. Then we found the bottled Panera dressing – love short cuts! What we haven’t been able to nail
Is the chicken – next time we will try your balsamic mix, thank you!
Jill
Just as good as, if not better than, Panera’s!
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Yum. So fresh looming Love that bowl too! Where is it from?
Delicious, just what I was craving. Used candied pecans instead of cashews. Reduced honey in dressing recipe, it was too sweet, even then I had to add more lime juice and vinegar. Also, used romaine instead of butter lettuce.
This looks lovely! Will definitely be trying it with some delicious Scottish strawberries soon.
So so good. Used frozen berries, thawed, and canned pineapple. Also used white vinegar instead of champagne vinegar since they don’t carry that around here. Definite favorite.
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This was amazing. It’s definitely one to share. So delicious.