Best Summer Salad With Chicken Recipe
Skip the blue cheese in favor of seasonal strawberries and corn
If you flip through blogger Gaby Dalkin's new book, What's Gaby Cooking, you'll learn that she's not exactly a fan of normal Cobb salads. She's all about swapping out the more polarizing parts (looking at you, blue cheese) in favor of seasonal add-ins: Think sweet potatoes and beets for fall, and pomegranates and mandarins for winter. Dalkin highlights summertime-fine strawberries and sweet corn for this of-the-moment version, which comes together in a breeze and is perfect for summer entertaining.
Pickle any extra strawberries to make a unique toast topper, plus seven ways to keep the grilled summer salad ball rolling.
Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad
Get this healthy summer Cobb salad recipe, which uses grilled chicken, ripe strawberries, corn and more, from food blogger Gaby Dalkin.
Ingredients
- For the Lemon-Champagne Vinaigrette
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- For the Chicken
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
- For the Salad
- 3 to 4 cups market greens
- 4 strips applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 8 to 10 strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 2 ears corn on the cob, kernels removed in strips
- 1 to 2 ripe avocados—pitted, peeled and sliced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Lemon-Champagne vinaigrette
Directions
- Make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Adjust the salt and pepper as needed. The dressing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (makes ⅔ cup).
- Make the chicken: Combine the oil, chipotles, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag and add the marinade. Zip the bag and mix the chicken into the marinade to coat. Place in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
- Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to about 400°F. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice the chicken against the grain.
- Make the salad: Arrange the greens on a large platter and top with the bacon, strawberries, corn, avocado and grilled chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the vinaigrette to serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 527 |
| Total Fat | 36.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 135.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 22.9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.4 g |
| Sodium | 771.8 mg |
| Protein | 31.4 g |
