Spice up your summer with this Blackened Chicken Salad! Fresh vegetables, crisp greens, and spiced chicken are tossed in a zesty white balsamic dressing. A flavorful salad that's light and refreshing, perfect for warm weather.
I've made this salad countless times, and the combination of ingredients is amazing. I used to marinate the chicken in a garlic-herb blend, but switching to blackened chicken has taken the flavor to a whole new level.
So what makes this salad great? The Hibiscus Pickled Red Onions are sweet and tangy, Cara Cara oranges are juicy, and the avocados are rich and creamy. All together, they make a mouthwatering salad that you will be making on repeat.
This summer salad isn't complete without a drizzle of my light and refreshing White Balsamic Dressing.
I love summer salads because they're light, refreshing, and packed with vibrant seasonal flavors. My Tomato Peach Burrata Salad and Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocados are the perfect taste of summer-you'll want to make them all season long!
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Blackened chicken is delicious! The combination of summer vegetables and spiced chicken makes this salad beautiful and delicious.
- This salad is uber-healthy with the right mix of lean protein, healthy fats, and healthy fats.
- A salad that is great for many occasions. During the Spring and Summer months, this Blackened Chicken Salad is perfect for baby showers, lunches, and Easter/Mother's Day brunches.
🧾 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is a visual overview of the Blackened Chicken Salad Ingredients. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Chicken
Season the chicken with delicious spices, then sear it on the stovetop or grill it!
Swap your chicken breast for some blackened salmon fillets for a delicious alternative.
Blackening Seasoning
A spice mixture of cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. I also use this seasoning blend for my Mango Salmon Salad.
Coat your chicken breast in a garlic-herb marinade for a different flavor.
Mixed Greens
Mixed greens are perfect for summer salads because they're light, and refreshing, with a blend of textures and flavors.
Swap out mixed greens for baby spinach, butter lettuce, or romaine.
Cara Cara Oranges
It is a type of navel orange with a pinkish-red flesh similar to the color of a grapefruit. Cara Cara oranges have the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess making them great in summer salads.
Swap out Cara Cara oranges for other citrus fruits like navel oranges, Valencia oranges, or grapefruits.
Strawberries
Strawberries are a summertime seasonal fruit with a sweet, juicy, and slightly tart flavor. Their vibrant red color and sweet flavor pair well with nuts, cheese, and vinaigrettes.
Blueberries and blackberries would also be delicious in this Blackened Chicken Salad.
Pickled Onions
My Hibiscus Pickled Red Onions are tangy and sweet with a vibrant purple color. They're perfect for salads, adding flavor without the sharp bite of raw onions.
Pickled red onions can be purchased at grocery stores if you don't have homemade pickled onions in your refrigerator.
Avocado
Avocado adds healthy fats, beautiful color, and a creamy texture popular in many summer salads.
Sliced Almonds
Toasted almonds add a crunchy texture and a nutty flavor to this salad. You can swap out almonds for my Paleo Candied Walnuts.
Feta Cheese
I like to use feta cheese in this salad because it has a slightly salty flavor without being overpowering.
White Balsamic Dressing
It has a slightly sweet, tangy, and fruity taste, making it an excellent choice for light and refreshing salads.
You can swap white balsamic dressing for choices like poppyseed dressing or honey mustard dressing.
🔪 How to make a Blackened Chicken Salad
I've provided step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the complete printable instructions and ingredient quantities, please scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. To make the blackening seasoning, mix cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken breast with the seasoning.
Step 2. Heat a cast-iron skillet until it is ripping hot. Add in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and sear the chicken breast for 1-2 minutes per side until they look charred. Finish in a 350°F/176F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F/73°C.
Step 3. To make the white balsamic dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and use an immersion blender to emulsify them.
Step 4. Let's assemble the salad by placing the greens on the bottom and topping them with strawberries, oranges, pickled red onions, avocado slices, toasted almonds, feta cheese, and sliced chicken breast. Now, drizzle the white balsamic dressing over the salad and enjoy!
📋 Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can prep all ingredients separately and assemble the salad before serving.
Yes! White balsamic dressing is light and refreshing, but feel free to experiment with other salad dressings. My Balsil Balsamic Vinaigrette or a poppy seed dressing would be good choices.
🥬 More Salad Recipes
If you tried this Blackened Chicken Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Summer Blackened Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Blackened Chicken
- 2- 8 oz chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salad
- 10 oz package of mixed greens
- ½ cups sliced almonds toasted
- 2 Cara Cara oranges peeled, and sliced
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese cubed
- 1 avocado sliced
- ½ cup pickled red onions
Golden Balsalmic Dressing
- ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- To make the blackening seasoning, mix cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken breast with the seasoning.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet until it is hot. Add in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and sear your chicken breast 1-2 minutes per side until they look charred. Finish the chicken in a 350°F/176°C oven for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F/73°C.
- Assemble the salad by placing the greens on the bottom and topping them with strawberries, oranges, pickled red onions, avocado slices, toasted almonds, feta cheese, and sliced chicken breast. Now, drizzle the white balsamic dressing over the salad and enjoy!
Dressing
- To make the white balsamic dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and use an immersion blender to emulsify them.
Notes
- Swap chicken breast for salmon fillets, and this salad would still be amazing!
- Poppyseed dressing would be a tasty alternative to the White Balsamic Dressing.
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