Easy Summer Salad With Chicken Recipe

Whenever you need to cool down from the scorching heat, Spanish recipes offer refreshing options that can help you beat the heat. 

Some popular ones are the tako salad recipe and the keto chicken salad recipe, while the summer salad with chicken remains a hidden gem among them.

This fantastic dish combines crisp vegetables and tender grilled chicken with vibrant flavors from Southern Spain, and by reading this article you will learn how to make it from scratch along with some expert tips.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish salad recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Chicken salad with tostadas

• Cranberry Chicken Pecan Salad

• Spanish eggplant salad

Background of the Dish

The summer salad with chicken is a modern version of the Spanish side salad, commonly served during the hottest days of the year thanks to its refreshing quality.

This Andalusian dish features a creative blend of ingredients, like tender grilled chicken, crisp fresh mixed green leaves, and sweet strawberries as the main stars.

This wasn’t the first Spanish salad to showcase fruit, as the apple salad with chicken came before, but it is better for summer because it highlights seasonal ingredients.

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Things You’ll Need for Summer Salad With Chicken

To make the summer salad with chicken you will need romaine lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, olive oil, and chicken breasts as the main ingredients.

Just like the Spanish macaroni salad and the hot chicken salad recipe, you won’t need any special equipment or kitchen tools to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup (180gr) cherry tomatoes
• 2 corn cobs
• 1/2 cup (80gr) strawberries
• 1 avocado
• 200gr crumbled feta cheese
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1 1/2 cup (60gr) spinach
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil (for the dressing, plus extra for the chicken)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Summer Salad With Chicken – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this green salad with chicken recipe, brush olive oil in your grill grates and heat them over low heat. If using a grill pan, also brush it with olive oil.

2. Now, mix two tablespoons of olive oil with paprika and salt. Rub the chicken breasts with that mix. Clean the corn cobs removing their husks and silk and rub some oil or butter on them.

3. Then, grill the chicken for about 8 minutes per side or until fully cooked. Check them occasionally so as not to burn them. Grill the corn for about 10-15 minutes, turning them occasionally to ensure even charring.  Set them aside.

4. To prepare the vegetables for this Spanish chicken salad recipe, start by slicing the cucumber and cutting the strawberries and cherry tomatoes in half. Also, cut the avocado in half, discard the pit, and cut the flesh into slices.

5. After that, wash the lettuce and spinach under cold, fresh water. Drain them so as not to end up with a watery summer salad with chicken.

6. To continue with this Spanish salad recipe, remove the grains from the corn. Also, cut the grilled chicken into strips or bite-sized pieces.

7. Now, grab a small bowl and mix the olive oil with vinegar, salt, and pepper. This will be the dressing for the summer grilled chicken salad.

8. Assemble the prepared vegetables (except the avocado), strawberry pieces, and meat in a large bowl. Pour the dressing and gently toss the summer salad with the chicken.

9. Then, do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if needed.

10. To finish one of the best Spanish salad recipes, serve it with avocado slices and crumbled feta cheese.

Substitution of Ingredients

This summer salad with chicken is super easy to customize and adapt to your taste preferences or dietary needs. 

First, you can prepare this chicken salad with boiled chicken or with leftovers from other chicken dishes, such as the Spanish garlic chicken and the Spanish grilled chicken.

You can swap the vegetables, using your favorite green mix or including some from different Spanish salads recipes such as the ensalada de zanahoria and the ensalada de pepino.

To add an extra savory twist, you can copy the chicken bacon salad and incorporate bacon bits or slices of Serrano ham as a topping.

Do you like the mix of summer salad with chicken and fruit? Then we have more recipes that you will love, such as the pineapple chicken salad and the chicken mango salad.

Tips on Serving Summer Salad With Chicken

The summer salad with chicken is the perfect side or appetizer to serve for lunch or dinner on a hot day, but you could also turn it into a main dish.

For that, adjust the serving size and make it more filling with extra chicken pieces, hard-boiled eggs, or marinated tofu.

You could draw inspiration from the Spanish potato salad with olives and top this delicious salad with pitted and chopped black olives for an extra Mediterranean flavor.

To play with the flavor profiles of this Spanish salad, feel free to drizzle some honey on top of the serving, providing a sweet contrast that enhances the flavor of the strawberries.

If you have friends or family coming over, then you can make a table filled with traditional Spanish salads, featuring classics like the crispy chicken salad, the chicken salad with carrots, and the Axarquia salad.

How to Store Summer Salad With Chicken

Summer salad ideas with chicken, like the healthy chicken salad and the fajita chicken salad, are a great option for when you want to prepare some of the components in advance.

When it comes to this summer salad with chicken, you can prepare the chicken and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To save more time, you can wash and cut the vegetables and strawberries in the morning of the day you plan to serve the salad. 

Apart from Spanish salads, other Andalusian dishes can be stored for a longer amount of time, like the Spanish chicken croquettes, the chicken empanada recipe, and the chicken soup without noodles.

Recipe Card: Summer Salad With Chicken

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