Spinach Chicken Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese
In the middle of a hot summer, the last thing I want to do is heat up the house by turning on the oven to cook meals multiple times a day…
That’s when meals like this spinach chicken salad with apples and goat cheese work out perfectly!
What works really well to make this meal a simple one to prepare is to cook the chicken the night before, or even batch cook 2-3 pounds of chicken on Sunday night (the start of the week). When you cook up a bunch of chicken at once, you’re essentially set on lunches for the week.
This salad is a great way to stay on track because it will make multiple meals and it is so light, flavorful, crisp and fresh – which is perfect for a summer lunch.
This spinach chicken salad is a great way to stay on track since it’s so light, flavorful, crisp and refreshing – perfect for a summer lunch. On top of that, it makes several meals that are seriously simple to put together. What more can you ask for? 🙂
What’s also great about this salad is you can easily mix it up by switching up the dressings, mix-ins like strawberries instead of apples, or adding walnuts for some more flavor (and good fat).
TIP: To save some time you can buy rotisserie chicken and shred it – or the frozen grilled chicken strips – and use bottled dressing instead of making your own… Just make sure to check the labels.
Ingredients: *
- 1 bag of baby spinach
- 16 oz grilled chicken, cut into strips or chunks
- 1-2 fuji apples, chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 container crumbled goat cheese
- 1 bottle of your favorite dressing (I used Panera’s Poppy seed Dressing)
Optional Toppings:
- chopped walnuts
- dried cranberries
- green onions
- cucumbers
* This recipe should make 4 servings, based on a portion of 4 oz. of chicken on each salad (adjust this to your liking). If you are just making one serving for yourself I would do:
- 4 oz. chicken, spinach (as much as you want)
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 apple, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp of dressing
Directions:
- Cook chicken how desired, or use pre-cooked or rotisserie.
- To build the salad combine spinach, apple, goat cheese and dressing, and toss to thoroughly coat.
- Add to a bowl and top with chicken, then add more dressing if desired.
Like I said… So easy and quick!
The perfect go-to weekday lunch… Something you could have multiple times a week and never get bored 🙂
Nutritional Information:
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 salad (4 oz chicken, 1/4 cup goat cheese, 1 apple, spinach, 3 tbsp. dressing)
Calories: 344
Fat: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 23 g
Protein: 30 g
