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  7. 14 Recipes That Pair Chicken with Salad for Fresh, Tasty Dinners
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14 Recipes That Pair Chicken with Salad for Fresh, Tasty Dinners

Laura Rege, Freelance Writer
By Laura Rege August 11, 2021
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Fried Chicken Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Green-Goddess Ranch
Credit: Gentl and Hyers

Pair everyone's favorite protein with the best, most colorful seasonal produce for winner dinners including barbecue chicken salad, fried chicken salad, chicken Niçoise salad, and more.

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bbq-chicken-salad-188-d112910.jpg
Credit: Bryan Gardner

There's no denying that chicken is a dinnertime  crowd-pleaser and nearly every family's most requested dinner protein. Here, chicken earns its spot on the table once again thanks to its starring role in 14 absolutely delicious dinner salads. This versatile protein takes on just about any flavor profile, integrating perfectly into these satisfying, produce-filled plates and bowls. What's more, it takes salads from a side to a complete meal. Another bonus: Fast-cooking chicken makes dinner salads easy to prepare any day of the week.

Start with a true fan-favorite: The Barbecued-Chicken Salad, pictured here, where the smoky lime-honey marinade does double duty as a dressing. Then, show off your salad knowledge with some refreshing takes on classic salads. Our Chicken Niçoise recipe is a clever update on a standby French salad that's usually made with tuna. Everyone's favorite tomato and mozzarella salad, the Caprese, takes on a whole new level of enjoyment with the addition of grilled chicken, eggplant, and crispy grilled bread. Then there's our vibrant Chicken Taco Salad, where citrusy ancho chile-chicken bakes perfectly tender in the oven. 

To keep your salads with chicken from feeling routine, explore different methods for cooking this beloved protein—it's an easy way to ensure that every salad feels like a new dining experience. Chicken doesn't always need to be grilled or baked to be an ingredient in a salad. Embrace different preparations and add some crunch to salads with golden fried chicken tenders or pair crispy pan-fried chicken with a pickled peach salad. Another time-honored technique, poaching, infuses chicken with aromatics, making it the most flavorful ingredient in our Market Salad.

These meal ideas are just the start. Continue on for salads filled with interesting ingredients and smart cooking techniques. You'll find that they're all easy enough for weeknight dinners and delicious enough to earn a spot in your regular rotation.

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Grilled Chicken and Eggplant with Mozzarella and Tomatoes

Grilled Chicken-and-Eggplant "Caprese"
Credit: Linda Xiao
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When it's high summer—the time we consider prime grilling season and when tomatoes are at their peak—this is the salad you will want to eat. It's an elevated riff on the Caprese, adding grilled chicken, bread, and eggplant to the mix to bring a new perspective to the tomato-mozzarella combo. Hearty and delightful, we think you'll find that this meal is just right for warm summer nights.

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Fried Chicken Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Green-Goddess Ranch

Fried Chicken Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Green-Goddess Ranch
Credit: Gentl and Hyers
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This meal is all about crunch, and it doesn't stop at vegetables to obtain this addictive texture—the chicken is fried till golden and crisp. The crunch is offset by a creamy avocado and green-goddess ranch dressing so this salad delivers some heft but still has a lightness and that good-for-you feel. 

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Pickled-Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Fried Chicken Cutlets

Pickled-Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Fried Chicken Cutlets
Credit: Christopher Testani
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Pickled peaches are an unexpected ingredient in this fork-and-knife salad that features a crispy fried chicken cutlet. The best part about using cutlets is that they are thinner and cook so much faster than a chicken breast but taste just as good.

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Chicken Taco Salad

Chicken Taco Salad
Credit: Mike Krautter
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If you're asking for our not-so-humble opinion, we think one of the best ways to enjoy a taco is out of the shell and in salad form. This take on chicken salad infuses the meat with flavor from an ancho chili powder and citrus marinade, then adds crunchy tortilla chips for texture.

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Grilled Chicken with Mango and Mint-Lime Dressing

grilled chicken with mango mint lime dressing
Credit: Sidney Bensimon
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Vibrant and bright, this mango, watercress, and radish salad ensures that the chicken does not feel like an afterthought by marinating thin breasts with some of the dressing before a quick turn on the grill. Goat cheese and spicy serrano peppers add additional layers of flavor so this main course salad hits just about every note.

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Market Salad with Poached Chicken

Market Salad with Poached Chicken
Credit: Gentl and Hyers
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This recipe produces the best poached chicken we have ever had. The key to keeping it super tender and flavorful is very gently simmering the meat in an acidic broth made from vinegar and white wine and adding aromatics like lemongrass, cinnamon, ginger, chile, and bay leaves. Serving the chicken with a gorgeous market salad, packed with produce, makes for a crave-worthy dinner.

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Spring Chicken Niçoise

spring chicken nicoise recipe plate
Credit: Sidney Bensimon
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Our spin on the classic French salad features chicken rather than the usual tuna, then speeds up the process with an easy steaming technique to get the protein and vegetables cooked fast. In our riff on the original, we kept the iconic potatoes and olives but swapped the usual green beans for seasonal snap peas.

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Ginger-Chicken Slaw

ginger chicken slaw
Credit: Johnny Fogg
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A crunchy base of cabbage and carrot slaw makes this salad the perfect backdrop for tender roasted chicken. The key to building rich but not overwhelming ginger and garlic notes is cooking these aromatics until golden and then slathering them over the chicken as it roasts. Use the rest to whip up a fragrant and zesty lime vinaigrette.

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Chicken Paillard with Caprese Panzanella

Chicken Paillard With Caprese Panzanella
Credit: Con Poulos
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Welcome to the marriage of two of our favorite salads: panzanella and caprese. While they are unquestionably perfect on their own, the combination of creamy mozzarella cheese, juicy tomatoes, basil, and grilled bread with chicken is, we think, the perfect dinner salad. 

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Chicken and Grape Salad

chicken-grape-salad-med107742.jpg
Credit: Romulo Yanes
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While we love to cook, sometimes time is tight and we need shortcuts to ensure we get a flavorful, homemade dinner are on the table. Here, we use one of our favorite cheats: rotisserie chicken. It's shredded over a dinner salad made with a yogurt-blue cheese dressing, lettuce, and the sweet, juicy addition of red grapes. It's the easiest route to a chicken salad for dinner when time is tight.

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Warm Quinoa and Chicken Salad

Warm Quinoa and Chicken Salad
Credit: Christina Holmes
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Lettuce doesn't have to be the heart of a salad; sometimes, it's more satisfying to opt for grains. For this easy salad with chicken, asparagus, peas, and quinoa, everything cooks in one pot. It's lovely warm right out of the pot or cold from the refrigerator the next day.

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Spinach Salad with Chicken, Corn, Tomatoes, and Feta

Spinach Salad with Chicken, Corn, Tomatoes, and Feta
Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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Upgrade a simple summer garden salad to a satisfying meal by tossing sliced grilled chicken breasts with garden fresh vegetables—juicy tomatoes and corn—and briny feta cheese. A simple but delicious dressing made with fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil brings to meal together and gets dinner on the table in no time.

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Broiled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple-Cucumber Salad

chicken pineapple cucumber salad
Credit: Johnny Miller
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Chicken breast are often the go-to cut for dinner salads, but chicken thighs are juicier and possibly even tastier. This recipe serves them with a refreshing mix of cucumber and pineapple.

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    1 of 14
    2 of 14 Grilled Chicken and Eggplant with Mozzarella and Tomatoes
    3 of 14 Fried Chicken Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Green-Goddess Ranch
    4 of 14 Pickled-Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Fried Chicken Cutlets
    5 of 14 Chicken Taco Salad
    6 of 14 Grilled Chicken with Mango and Mint-Lime Dressing
    7 of 14 Market Salad with Poached Chicken
    8 of 14 Spring Chicken Niçoise
    9 of 14 Ginger-Chicken Slaw
    10 of 14 Chicken Paillard with Caprese Panzanella
    11 of 14 Chicken and Grape Salad
    12 of 14 Warm Quinoa and Chicken Salad
    13 of 14 Spinach Salad with Chicken, Corn, Tomatoes, and Feta
    14 of 14 Broiled Chicken Thighs with Pineapple-Cucumber Salad

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    14 Recipes That Pair Chicken with Salad for Fresh, Tasty Dinners
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