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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.