This salad is summer on a plate. Sweet strawberries, peppery arugula, creamy honey goat cheese, and juicy grilled chicken all come together in a dressing that does double duty — it is a vinaigrette and a basting sauce. The secret is blending fresh strawberries and basil right into the dressing, then using part of it to baste the chicken on the grill.
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Strawberry Basil Chicken Salad
Sweet strawberries, peppery arugula, and juicy grilled chicken come together in this summer salad, all dressed in a fresh strawberry basil vinaigrette that does double duty as a basting sauce.
Ingredients
For the Strawberry-Basil Vinaigrette:
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled
• 8 basil leaves
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Salt and pepper
For the Strawberry Barbecue Sauce (basting sauce):
• Reserved vinaigrette (from above)
• 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
For the Salad:
• 1½ cups boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 5-ounce bag of arugula
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 ounces honey goat cheese
• 6 figs, quartered
• Fresh basil, torn
Instructions
- Combine the strawberries, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil. Set aside 1 cup of the strawberry basil vinaigrette, this will dress the salad.
- Add the strawberry preserves, ketchup, and Dijon mustard to the remaining vinaigrette in the food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat the grill. Lightly oil the chicken breasts and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Place on the preheated grill and cook about 4 minutes, or until the chicken releases easily from the grates. Flip, then baste with the strawberry barbecue sauce. Continue to flip and baste until the chicken is completely cooked through.
- As the chicken cools, assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, strawberries, toasted almonds, goat cheese, figs, and torn basil. Dress the salad with the reserved strawberry basil vinaigrette.
- Portion into individual bowls. Slice the chicken across the grain and add to each bowl.
Notes
The vinaigrette can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Give it a good stir or shake before using.
Arugula can be swapped for mixed greens, spinach, or baby kale.
Regular goat cheese or feta work well too in this salad.
Leftover vinaigrette is wonderful spooned over ice cream and fresh berries.
Language Corner: Strawberry Basil Chicken Salad
These language guides are here to support you not overwhelm you! Pick one word, one prompt, or one concept that feels right for your child and your moment. There is no right or wrong way to use them. The best conversation is the one that happens naturally while you are cooking together.
✦ Word of the Day: Basting
Basting (say it: BAY-sting) means spooning or brushing liquid over food while it cooks to keep it juicy and add flavor. In this recipe, we baste the chicken with a homemade strawberry barbecue sauce, the sweetness sinks into the chicken and creates a beautiful, caramelized crust on the grill. Think of it like giving the chicken a little flavor bath!
Try it: "Can you watch what happens to the chicken each time we baste it? What do you notice about the color and the smell?"
✦ Figure of Speech: "Dress the salad"
When we say we are going to "dress" the salad, we do not mean putting clothes on it! We are using a figure of speech, a fun way of saying we are adding dressing to coat and flavor everything. Just like getting dressed makes you ready to go out, dressing the salad gets it ready to eat.
Try it: "Can you think of another food that gets "dressed"? What about a hot dog or a baked potato?"
✦ Describing Words
This salad is a feast for the eyes before it even hits the table. As you put it together, it is the perfect time to practice describing words, adjectives that tell us how something looks, tastes, feels, or smells. Look at all the colors in the bowl: deep red strawberries, bright green basil, golden almonds, creamy white goat cheese, and purple-brown figs. What words come to mind?
Try it: "Can you name one word for each ingredient in the bowl? What about how the whole salad looks together, what is one word for that?"
✦ Talk While You Cook
While washing the strawberries: "What do you notice about the strawberries right now — their color, smell, shape? Can you describe them using three words?"
While blending the dressing: "We are putting strawberries, basil, and vinegar all together in one sauce. What do you think it will taste like? Sweet? Tangy? Both?"
While basting the chicken: "Watch what happens to the chicken each time we brush on the sauce. What is changing?"
There are no wrong answers, just good conversation!
✦ Think Like a Chef
This recipe uses a strawberry barbecue sauce to baste the chicken but a great chef is always experimenting. What other fruits could we use to baste the chicken? What about peaches, blueberries, or mangoes? What flavor do you think each one would give?
✦ A Note on Kitchen Safety
Little hands learn best when they are close by your side. Raw chicken needs extra care, always wash hands well before and after handling it and use a separate cutting board to keep the strawberries and greens safe. The grill gets very hot, so adults should handle all the cooking and flipping. Knife work for the chicken is a grown-up job too. Kids can wash the strawberries and figs, tear the basil leaves, pour the dressing, and do the big toss , the most important job of all!
Elizabeth Foley
I love the language component!!!!!!!
Donna DoyonCalcagno
Love this and my favorite salad to top it off!