grilled chicken salad in a bowl
Food,  Vue

Summer Grilled Chicken Salad

I realize I may be a bit ahead of myself with this summer chicken salad recipe…but, pin it…save it…print it…but MOST OF ALL…enjoy it!

As I was shopping for my Easter menu last week, corn on the cob was available in the produce aisle. That’s when my wheels began turning. Summer grilled chicken salad season had arrived.

As for the grilled? Feel free to grill chicken and vegetables on the grill to give it a great smoky flavor. But this one was made with a grill pan on the stove. You choose what works best for you. Either gives great results!

Why Summer Grilled Chicken Salad now?

Because truly all of the ingredients are available for you. AND? The flavors will rock your world. Promise.

There are soooo many great gatherings that need this grilled chicken salad…from Mother’s Day, graduations and end of the year school parties…it will be a hit every time it is offered.

Last summer I created this recipe and invited a friend over for dinner to give it a try. Oh. My. Goodness. This was the main course and was so good that it was difficult to stop eating.

It was sooo good that it was shared in the August Vue magazine.

So where do you begin?

Probably the time that takes the longest is just the prep work.

Let’s marinate the chicken first.

chicken to be marinated for summer grilled chicken salad

A mixture of olive oil, grainy Dijon mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and fresh herbs added to the chicken and marinated for a few minutes makes this the most flavorful part of this recipe.

marinated chicken

Next, remove silks and husks from corn. Trim green onion ends. Leave small peppers whole OR half and remove seeds and tops.

Then add olive oil to your grill pan or grill and roast corn, peppers and onions.

add corn, green onions and peppers to a grill pan

Once roasted, let cool before cutting off the kernels from the cob.

Let roasted corn, peppers and onions cool

Grill the chicken next.

After the chicken has marinated a few minutes, add it to the skillet with medium high heat and grill until lightly charred and completely cooked, turning halfway through cooking.

grilled marinated chicken

Next, create the dressing.

Begin by cooking the bacon, draining and chopping into small pieces.

Combine all ingredients except bacon into a jar and whisk together.

bacon dressing for summer grilled chicken salad

Add bacon to the dressing and set aside.

Now, let’s assemble the salad!

Prepped summer grilled chicken salad ingredients

Measure out the croutons, feta and salad greens.

Wash salad greens, drain and tear into bite sized pieces. I love a mixture of spring greens and arugula.

Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Slice avocado.

To assemble, add salad greens to a large bowl. Top with chicken, peppers, corn, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and croutons.

Pour dressing over the top and garnish with fresh basil sprigs.

assembled grilled summer chicken salad

And to make it even easier?

Let’s put it in individual serving jars to take to picnics, pack in lunches or make it last even longer.

Just add a little dressing to the bottom of the jar and layer ingredients and then refrigerate. Simply stir before eating. This helps keep all of your salad ingredients crisp until mixing in the dressing.

This might make serving sizes for lunch, a pool party, boating outing, picnic, party, or gathering even easier. Right?

Just tuck them in a cooler since chicken is an ingredient to take them to gatherings.

summer grilled chicken salad with bacon dressing in a jar

I can’t tell you how very much I love this salad. All of the flavors. The grilled chicken with all of the vegetables added. Then topped with an amazing dressing with bacon added.

My guests who arrive in early May will love this…and it will probably be made for a Mother’s Day gathering.

Can’t you see this one at a picnic or pool party?

Hope it will be your absolute favorite, too.

Here’s the recipe…

grilled chicken salad in a bowl

Summer Grilled Chicken Salad with Bacon Dressing

A main dish salad that offers amazing flavors of grilled chicken, vegetables with a delicious bacon dressing.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 1 stove or grill
  • 1 grill pan
  • 1 set Measuring cups/spoons
  • 1 knife and cutting board
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients
  

Salad Ingredients

  • 1 C croutons
  • 6 C salad greens, your choice
  • 1 lb. chicken tenders
  • 3 ears corn
  • 6-8 small whole peppers
  • 3 whole green onions
  • 2 C cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 C feta cheese
  • fresh basil springs
  • olive oil for grilling pan

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 3 T apple cider vinegar
  • 1 green onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T fig preserves
  • 1 t fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 dash red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 slices thick cooked bacon

Chicken Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken tenders, listed above
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 3 T grainy Dijon mustard
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 2 T Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 C fresh herbs, your choice
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

Dressing Instructions

  • Cook bacon, drain and chop. Set aside.
  • Combine all dressing ingredients, except bacon in a jar and whisk together.
    bacon dressing for summer grilled chicken salad
  • Add chopped bacon to the dressing.

Grilled Chicken Instructions

  • Add chicken tenders to a large bowl.
  • Add in olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, chopped fresh herbs and salt and pepper.
    marinated chicken
  • Feel free to marinate the chicken a few minutes to give it more flavor before grilling.
  • While chicken is marinating, grill vegetables.
  • Use your grill pan or skillet to medium high heat to grill chicken to completely charred and cooked, turning halfway through cooking,
    grilled marinated chicken
  • Cut into bite sized pieces and set aside to cool. You can cover and refrigerate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Grilled Vegetables Instructions

  • While the grilled chicken is marinating, grill the vegetables first.
  • Remove silks and husks from fresh corn.
  • Trim green onion ends.
  • Leave peppers whole or cut in half and remove seeds and tops.
  • Add a little olive oil to the grill pan or skillet and roast corn, peppers and green onions.
    add corn, green onions and peppers to a grill pan
  • Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
    Let roasted corn, peppers and onions cool
  • Once cooled, cut kernels from cob.

Assembling the Salad

  • Measure croutons.
  • Measure washed salad greens and tear into bite sized pieces.
  • Slice tomatoes into halves.
  • Slice avocado into slices or pieces.
    Prepped summer grilled chicken salad ingredients
  • In a large salad bowl, add salad greens and top with chicken, peppers, corn, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and croutons.
    grilled chicken salad in a bowl
  • Mix dressing again before pouring over salad and garnish with a few basil sprigs.
  • If you make this salad ahead, don't add dressing…cover and refrigerate; then add dressing right before serving.
  • Although it's best when first made, cover leftovers and refrigerate to enjoy later.
  • NOTE: This is a perfect recipe to make for jar salads. Simply add desired amount of dressing to the bottom of a jar, top with salad ingredients, cover and refrigerate. Tuck into lunches, picnic baskets or serving bars. Just stir the dressing into the salad ingredients when ready to eat. Perfectly crisp ingredients with a wonderful dressing ready for serving!
    summer grilled chicken salad with bacon dressing in a jar
  • TIP: Feel free to prepare the roasted vegetables and chicken in advance and have ready in the fridge to create this salad.

Notes

A great one dish meal to make for dinner, lunch, picnic or gathering. Great for pool parties and outdoor gatherings!
Enjoy!
Keyword favorite summer salad with grilled chicken and vegetables, grilled chicken salad, main dish salad, summer grilled chicken salad, summer grilled chicken salad with bacon dressing

Even though this screams summer when fresh corn is in…when I find fresh corn locally…it’s the perfect time to have this!

I’m linking items similar to those that I use in case you need them…just helping you locate things that I use in creating this recipe.

I hope that you LOVE this recipe, friends. This one will be on repeat now through the summer. Nothing better to add to the table when guests are joining you.

Enjoy!

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