I would love to say that I was feeling especially patriotic while making this salad, but really?
I was thinking about Panera.
My friend and I ate there a few days ago, following our usual business meetings: TJ Maxx, coffee, Target, Nordstrom Rack…you get the idea. It’s vigorous—not for the faint of blood sugar. By 2pm, I was crashing. Panera seemed the nearest and quickest option, so in we went. She went with her old stand-by: Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, while I ordered the Strawberry Poppyseed and Chicken Salad (chicken, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, Mandarin oranges, pecans, and poppyseed dressing). Five minutes later, I was in my glory. The salad, thankfully size-able enough for a hearty eater like me, was fruit-filled and super sweet, which I loved. If the options are sweet or savory, I am always picking sweet. Savory can go straight to bed as far as I’m concerned.
Since that lunch trip, I haven’t been able to get Panera’s fruit-focused creation out of my mind. Com-pletely normal, I’m telling you. Although it’s not quite the same (better?), this red, white, and blue number you see here has turned out to be quite the tasty take on it. It’s got strawberries, blueberries, and a few raspberries that I had on hand (though, they’re not called for in the recipe for the sake of ease—who wants to have to buy three kinds of berries for one recipe?). To the fruity mix, I added mixed baby greens, grilled chicken for some heft and staying power, crumbled feta for richness and a break from the sugar (what am I saying?), and—oh my gosh does this make life easier—a store-bought light honey Dijon dressing that I’ve been using lately in Mom’s salads.
Altogether, the flavor is fantastic—refreshing, sweet, and satisfying. Feel free to leave out the chicken and serve the greens, berries, and feta by themselves as a starter salad or a side dish. Perfect for any cookout, and certainly festive for the Fourth of July. Enjoy!
*Also recommended for a packed lunch!
Fourth of July Red, White, and Blue Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces mixed baby lettuces
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (1 cup)
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 12 ounces cooked chicken breast sliced (grilled, baked, broiled)
- 1/2 cup light honey Dijon dressing (I like Ken's Light Honey Dijon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, feta, strawberries, blueberries, and chicken.
- Add the dressing and toss gently to coat all of the ingredients.
- Divide the salad among four large serving plates or bowls and sprinkle the top of each with 1 tablespoon pecans for garnish. Serve immediately.
Wow!!! So yummy!!! I have to try that!!! Happy Friday!!!
Yes, so perfect for a packed lunch! I love taking pretty, delicious food like this to work. It makes me so happy in the middle of a busy day to know I have a healthy, delicious meal like this waiting on me. Thanks so much for replicating this salad!
I need to be better about planning out salads for lunches. This looks so good! My salads are always soggy and taste of refrigerator. I think I’m doing it wrong.
I just added all the ingredients to my shopping list for next week! I can’t wait to try this.
Just got some great ideas for salads :p.
I love those salads! I also realllllly love (and I thought you would too) a salad with mixed greens, chicken, green apple, blue cheese, and almonds (or pecans). I top it all off with Annie’s Natural’s light raspberry vinaigrette (or their light balsamic vinaigrette, it’s delish!).
Ooo that does sound great! Love the idea of the tart green apple with blue cheese–reminds me of a waldorf salad. I also used to buy that Annie’s dressing all.the.time and I really enjoyed it; I’m not sure why I stopped? It’d be a good light option for Mom, too :)
Andie
When you grill your chicken, do you just throw the breasts on the grill dry? I would love to know what the healthiest way is to prepare chicken breasts, baking, grilling, and broiling?
Hey Maddy!
If I’m not marinating chicken breasts in some sort of sauce (those vary greatly), I usually just generously season the breasts on both sides with either Mrs. Dash seasoning, Montreal Steak seasoning, Lawry’s seasoning, or just plain ol’ salt and pepper, then grill them on my gas grill for about 8 minutes per side. No oil needed.
Hope this helps!
Andie
Hi Andie, when you say gas grill, do you mean on the stove? What sort of grill do you own?
Love your website, layout and openness…would love to pick your brain sometime – so many questions! – but I’m guessing your a busy girl :)
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