This salad is bursting with flavor and packed with nutrients, a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, making them a powerhouse for your immune system and heart health. Meanwhile, feta cheese adds a creamy, salty contrast while being rich in calcium and gut-friendly probiotics. Tossed with tender chicken, crisp greens, and a light dressing, this salad is not only delicious but also a nourishing way to welcome the flavors of spring!
Summer is on the doorstep and dinner salads are so easy and satisfying!
Dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes, especially when you have delicious possibilities (leftover) or rotisserie chicken making dinner prep super fast.
Make the vinaigrette ahead
I like to use a half pint mason jar with a lid and add all the vinaigrette ingredients, put the lid on and shake-shake-shake! Any leftover vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. This vinaigrette also works really well as a marinade for any chicken or turkey for the BBQ too!
Slice the red onions
Once you slice those onions, place them in a sieve and run cold tap water over the for a minute or two. This mellows that sharp onion taste and combines so well with those sweet blueberries.
Soak your Feta Cheese
My Turkish friend taught me to purchase Feta cheese in blocks-not crumbled. She says the crumbled cheese looses flavor and moistness quickly when it’s already crumbled. When you purchase it in the block, you can cut the amount you want to use and keep the rest in the brine in the fridge and will last so much longer. She also taught me to put the piece of Feta you’re using into a bowl of cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes. The water will remove the sharp briny taste from the Feta so you can really enjoy the wonderful flavor of the cheese.
Variations
Proteins: Consider steak, salmon, shrimp or roasted chickpeas
Add ins: Avocados, sliced cucumber, red bell pepper, fresh basil, chives or dill
You can substitute the pecans with toasted almonds, walnuts or pine nuts
Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Feta
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken
- 12 ounces Romain hearts, fine chopped
- 1 pint Fresh Blueberries
- 1 cup Pecans, toasted ad chopped
- 1 small Red Onion, finely sliced
- 5 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the chicken and set aside
- Chop the romaine lettuce, rinse and spin dry
- Toast the pecans-in a dry skillet over medium-high heat add the pecans and keep them moving in the pan until they are slightly browned. Remove from the pan immediately and set aside to cool. Once cooled, chop them and add to the salad
- Finely slice the red onion, place in a colander and run cold water over to mellow the flavor
- In a large bowl add the chopped romaine, the chicken and red onion. Drizzle the vinaigrette and gently toss using tongs.
- Divide the salad into 4 plates and sprinkle the crumbled feta, toasted pecans and fresh blueberries on top. Serve immediately with remainder vinaigrette on the side.
To make the vinaigrette
- Whisk all the ingredients until emulsified
