Description
A delightful and flavorful recipe for Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette. Tender grilled chicken thighs marinated in a tangy blueberry balsamic dressing, served over a bed of fresh greens with blueberries, almonds, and a sweet and savory vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Chicken:
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- Sea salt, to taste
For the Blueberry Vinaigrette / Balsamic Chicken Marinade:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, mostly thawed if frozen
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil + 3 fresh garlic cloves if not low FODMAP)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon pure maple syrup, 1/8 teaspoon stevia (liquid or powdered), or sweetener of choice, to taste (optional, omit for Whole30)
For the Salad:
- 8 cups spring mix, red leaf lettuce, or your favorite greens, chopped
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup scallions, green tops only, chopped (optional, omit for onion-free)
- 1/2 cup feta, crumbled (optional, omit for dairy-free/Paleo/Whole30)
Instructions
- Cover up: Cover your clothes with an apron and take care as this recipe can get messy!
- Season chicken with salt: Season chicken thighs with sea salt and leave at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- Make the blueberry vinaigrette / marinade: Blend blueberries, balsamic vinegar, olive oils, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.
- Taste: Adjust seasoning and sweetener in the vinaigrette. Reserve half for dressing.
- Marinate chicken: Marinate chicken thighs in remaining vinaigrette for at least 2 hours.
- Prepare for grilling: Preheat grill and remove chicken from marinade.
- Grill chicken: Grill thighs until cooked through.
- Prep salad ingredients: Prepare salad components.
- Chop chicken: Slice grilled chicken.
- Build salads: Assemble salads with greens, chicken, blueberries, almonds, scallions, feta, and dressing.
- Storage: Store leftovers separately in the refrigerator.
Notes
- The balsamic blueberry vinaigrette / marinade recipe yields a total of 1 ⅓ cups, with approximately ⅔ cup available for each serving.
- If the vinaigrette solidifies, let it come to room temperature or microwave briefly.
- Use about 1 dry pint of blueberries for the recipe.
- Sweeten the vinaigrette to taste based on the sweetness of the berries.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 150mg
