Citrus Harvest Chicken Salad

5 from 1 vote

This citrus harvest chicken salad is bursting with flavor and perfect for any picnic, lunch, or dinner! The vibrant colors of pickled onions, Cara Cara oranges, strawberries, and avocado are beautiful. What I like even more is how delicious this salad tastes.

Prep Time20

Total Time1

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 924kcal

Author: Mike Cleavenger

Ingredients

Seasoned Chicken

2- 8 oz chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Salad

10 oz package of mixed greens
½ cups sliced almonds toasted
2 Cara Cara oranges segemented
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 light olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl combine extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
On a parchment-lined baking tray, place chicken on top and brush with marinade. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove from oven to let cool. Once cooled, thinly slice.
In the same oven, toast sliced almonds at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
Wash strawberries under cold water and slice. Set aside.
Peel, and segment the Cara Cara oranges. Set aside.
Peel, and slice avocados. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss mixed greens with golden balsamic dressing. Place in your preferred salad bowl and top with almonds, oranges, strawberries, avocado, onions, and feta cheese. Enjoy!

Dressing

Place all the ingredients, except for the oil in a blender or immersion blender and puree.
With the blender running slowly pour in the oil in a steady stream.
Adjust seasoning if needed.

Notes

Use Cara Cara oranges. Sure, you can use any variety of oranges. Cara Cara adds beautiful color and taste to this salad. A very underrated orange that you should try!

Toast almonds. It pains me to see people adding raw nuts to their salads. By toasting the almonds, you bring out the nuttiness.

Pickle your onions. Always having pickled onions on hand is a lifesaver. Raw onions tend to be harsh and strong. Pickled onions are sweet, tangy, and delicious.

Mix up your greens. In this recipe, I use mixed greens but change it up. Try out kale or butter lettuce.

Choose the right dressing. Any type of balsamic dressing will work in this salad. I love to make a golden balsamic dressing.

Nutrition