Salad greens and breaded chicken topped with strawberries, pecans, red onion and goat cheese then drizzled with poppy seed dressing for the perfect Summer salad!
6 to 8cupschopped green leaf lettuce or other salad greens
6 to 8breaded chicken tenders, baked according to package directions
1-1/2 to 2cupssliced strawberries
1/2red onion, sliced in to bite size pieces
1/2cupgoat cheese, crumbled in to bite size pieces
1/2cupchopped pecans or candied pecans
1/3 to 1/2cupof poppy seed dressing
Instructions
Bake the chicken according to package directions and allow to cool slightly, then slice in to bite size pieces.
Divide the chopped salad greens between four plates. Layer some of the sliced breaded chicken tenders over the greens, then sprinkle about 1/2 cup strawberries, some chopped red onion, some chopped pecans and a few dots of goat cheese on each plate.
Drizzle each salad with a couple of tablespoons of poppy seed dressing and serve!
Notes
This is an extremely versatile salad, so here are a couple of tips on substitutions for this recipe:
You can use any of your favorite salad greens. I love green or red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach or spring mix.
My favorite breaded chicken for this salad are the Crispy Chicken Strips from Tyson! (Not a paid advertisement.) They have a lovely breading and cook up perfectly every time, but you can definitely use whatever breaded chicken tenders your family loves!
You can use your favorite store bought poppy seed dressing, but this homemade poppy seed dressing comes together quickly and is so delicious.
If the strawberries are not looking too great at the store, try raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or a mix of a couple different kinds!
Plain pecans are absolutely delicious, but if you want to step it up a notch, try making these candied pecans that bake up crunchy and sweet with a little bit of spice right in your oven. (These can be made a couple of days ahead.)
If goat cheese is not your thing, switch it out for some burrata, some dabs of whipped ricotta, crumbled feta, or even crumbled blue cheese!