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Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing

Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing

My generous neighbor Jack gave me some fresh picked green leaf, red leaf, and romaine lettuce from his garden. I couldn’t wait to make a summer salad using it. I found this recipe from the Cooking Light July 2010 issue and couldn’t resist giving it a try. I loved the simply seasoned chicken mixed with the crunchy jicama, red pepper, and onion. The spicy pineapple dressing was AMAZING! This salad was perfect in flavor, texture, and taste… we all loved it.

How to Make Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing:

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Chili powder, to taste
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 cups of red leaf, green leaf, and romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 3/4 cup jicama, peeled and julienne-cut
  • 1 small red bell pepper, julienne-cut
  • 1 small orange bell pepper, julienne-cut
  • 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing

Heat the grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place the chicken between 2 sheets of saran wrap, and pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet. Sprinkle each side with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and chili powder, to taste. Place the chicken in the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; set aside to allow the meat to rest.

Spicy Pineapple Dressing:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups of cubed fresh pineapple, divided
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
  • 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp jalapeño, diced
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil (not pictured)

Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple DressingCombine half of the pineapple, cilantro, orange juice, vinegar, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor; process until smooth. With the processor on, gradually add the olive oil until well blended.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple DressingSlice the chicken into bite-size pieces. Combine the remaining pineapple, jicama, bell pepper, red onion, chicken, and lettuce in a bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Spicy Pineapple Dressing

 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe – For the Love of Cooking.net

Adapted recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cooking Light, July 2010
 

 

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41 Comments

  1. Simple salads like this are really the best part of summer eating. I think I could drink that pineapple dressing. With a straw.

  2. Adding pineapple to a chicken salad is a great idea, Pam. The flavors compliment each other so well, especially with that yummy dressing. Perfect for a scorching hot day!

  3. ooh, that dressing sounds interesting – an unusual combination of spicy and fruity. Perfect summer salad!

  4. Pineapples were on sale for only $1 at my grocery store last week – This makes me wish I would have bought more than one! Love these fresh flavors. Lovely recipe, Pam!

  5. Looks so refreshing! It has been so hot here in New Hampshire, you have no idea how good this looks!

  6. i haven't ever really had a dressing that excited me. in fact, i often skip it completely. however, there's no component of your pineapple dressing that i wouldn't like–i think we may have a winner on our hands here!

  7. This is the perfect meal for a hot night! I've been on a pineapple kick lately and I love the idea of the spicy dressing 🙂

    Sues

  8. Now that's a good looking salad. The dressing sounds amazing. I bet it would taste great as a marinade.
    ~ingrid

  9. welcome back! I have missed your posts! This looks great. I just got a fresh pineapple. This looks too good! 🙂

  10. What a fantastic blog you have! Love everything about it; great recipes and photos. Looks clean and sharp. I have so much to learn and you inspire me.
    Rita

  11. Great colors and the flavors of the dressing sound perfect. But the only thing I could think of reading this post was remembering working in the produce department when I was 18. I constantly mis-pronounced jicama as jick-a-ma around my produce manager because it drove him nuts. I even had a cashier do a price check on it so I could say jickama over the intercom and watch his reaction.

  12. Pam! i made a combo of your bruschetta and the feta/roasted garlic spread crostini recipes and it was SOOOO GOOD!

    have a great sunday evening!

  13. I made this one for an outdoor concert / picnic, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The chicken was rather blah and the dressing just didn’t do enough to pick up the rest of the salad. I probably would not make it again or if I did, I would have to be at home so I could tweak it.