Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries, Fontina and a Balsamic Vinaigrette

I typically plan my meals out on Sunday night because my daughter and I take our weekly trip to the grocery store on Mondays. We get it over with at the beginning of the week and trek our way through a couple of stores in the morning when it’s not very crowded. This is what I like to call “mom strategizing”.

I usually like to make most of my meals from my cookbooks or my fellow food blogger favorites, but lately, I’ve enjoyed the simplicity of buying frozen meals and eats I can throw right on the grill. I’m telling you, it’s the nice weather that has me going bonkers for the simple stuff. Not to mention the fact that there’s so much more to do this time of year and it’s easier for me to feel overwhelmed.

We’ve also been a huge fan of salads around here, especially during lunch time. In fact, the other day, I made Chrissy Teigen’s brussel sprout salad from her cookbook, Cravings, while my husband was working from home and it was the greatest feeling putting something so simple together.

It got me thinking: I need a simple salad recipe on Marina Makes. Something easy peasy that can be tossed together in a cinch. A salad that’s savory, sweet, and filling, and perfect for any type of get-together (because we know get-togethers come by the dozen in the summer). And that, my friends is when I decided to put romaine, fontina, grilled chicken, pecans and a balsamic vinaigrette in a bowl. Oh, and best part, I added strawberries because they add a special sweetness and we went strawberry picking this past weekend and have a ton of the best strawberries in our fridge. Speaking of strawberry picking, I’ll tell you more about it in my next post.

SO easy and simple, and a salad you’ll want to make on a weekly basis this summer. If you end up making it, don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries, Fontina and a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 pound of chicken breast tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6-8 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
• 3/4 cup of cubed fontina cheese (use feta for a tangy flavor)
• 1 1/2 of chopped fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions

Place chicken, oil, fresh basil, honey, salt and pepper in a freezer bag. Shake to combine and let the chicken marinade for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat grill over medium-high heat and grill chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. When the chicken is done, cut into bite size pieces.

While the chicken is grilling, place the lettuce, fontina cheese, strawberries and pecans in a bowl. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the vinaigrette over the salad and enjoy!