This Grilled Honey-Orange Chicken Salad is loaded with fresh lettuce, bell peppers, sweet orange slices, crunchy almonds and marinated chicken all tossed together with a delicious orange vinaigrette!
Ok so I must admit, I LOVE a good salad. Especially during these hot summer months when you want something light, filling yet {lets be honest} bikini friendly. So when Heather, from one of my favorite blogs The Lovely Cupboard, contacted me to do a fun salad swap, I literally jumped at the chance! So in case you didn’t see this recipe Friday on her blog, today’s your lucky day!
I wanted to create a hearty salad that had a mix of fresh fruit, crisp veggies and lots of protein! I hate scrimping on salads, I mean let’s be serious people…salads typically aren’t very filling. This one however will leave you feeling fat and happy. In a good way.
I love this because you can prepare the marinade in the morning allowing the chicken to absorb all the flavors throughout the day, then just pop the chicken in the broiler when you get home and throw your salad together for a tasty dinner! Easy peasy, no? And don’t even get me started on the delicious summer dressing I drizzled over top. The mixture of freshly squeezed orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar and shallots just makes my heart swoon.
Grilled Honey-Orange Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 4 cups salad greens
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned
- Sliced almonds, toasted
For the marinade:
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, or savory
For the dressing:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. shallots, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for the marinade and pour over chicken in a resealable plastic bag. Allow chicken to marinate for 6 to 8 hours in the fridge, turning bag occasionally.
- Line a broiler pan with foil and place chicken on the pan, discarding the marinade. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and broil 5 to 6 inches away from heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Chicken should no longer be pink and juices will run clear.
- While chicken is broiling, mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a screw top jar and shake well (or whisk together in a bowl). Divide greens among 4 plates (or 2 for larger portions) and top with chopped peppers and orange sections. Slice chicken crosswise and arrange over greens and drizzle with dressing. Feel free to garnish with sliced almonds, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I tried this the other night…DELICIOUS!!!!
Sounds fabulous Kelly!
Oh My Gosh!! How are you so awesome?? I just don’t even get it this is the perfect summer salad!
Love this, and I love your blog, so i had to nominat eyou for an award. Check out: http://food-fork-and-good.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/spiced-apple-pie-rolls-awards.html
Two words: Zesty and delicious.
This is really new to me,so I can’t wait to try making it at home. Thanks a lot for the useful recipe.
Yum! that look SO good!
This really is the perfect summer salad. Love the flavors.
I absolutely LOVE this salad, beautiful and healthy! Our new house has 2 huge orange trees full of fruit so we are using oranges in almost every meal we make!
This salad is beautiful! Perfect for dinner on a hot summer night! Can’t wait to try it!
I love entree salads and yours looks delish…healthy and colorful, too!