Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit

I used strawberries, raspberries and mandarin oranges in addition to the toasted pecans. Cut the sugar in half for the dressing. I thought the dressing looked funny after blending, but wow this was a great salad. Also marinated the chicken breast in a mixture of white wine vinegar, orange juice, garlic and herb seasoning blend and a little olive oil. YUM.

Oh, MY! This was absolutely DELIGHTFUL! I had accidentally run out of red wine vinegar, so used a raspberry vinegar instead... it was wonderful. I used oranges, and when you took a bite with bits of each the explosion of flavor in your mouth was pure extasy.

This is the BEST salad, I work as a Food Service Manger in an Institute...and when ever we have guests we use this salad as a house salad, for the fruit we use mandarin oranges, grapes, raisins, we use either pecans or almonds roasted in butter and brown sugar...ummmmmmmm

Don't pass this one by!!! Yum! This will be my new favorite meal to pack for lunch. I used canned pineapple because that's what I had, and it was perfect. The dressing is great - I cut the amount of oil about in half so it is not so full of fat. I have tried this dressing over a number of different salads. It's great with baby spinach, fresh pears, and feta cheese.

Good, I am doing low carb so I used 4 packets of Splenda instead of sugar and used spinach instead of bibb lettuce. I used 2 strawberries and cut them into thin slices to lower the carb count. I will make this again

Delicious. There's no need to make a full recipe of dressing. I made a half recipe (also reducing the sugar by another half) and it was more than enough. I used two of those ready-to-eat bags of mixed greens, and tossed them in the dressing before putting them on the plate. It was so healthy-tasting and fun. Yum.

Love!! This is a great recipe as it is. The only changes I made were subbing a Spring mix salad blend for the Bibb lettuce and adding feta cheese. I made this with strawberries, but it would be great with other fruits as well. The sweet and tangy dressing was just right. I loved that it came together easily with ingredients from my pantry. The toasted pecans added flavor and a nice crunch. It was a nice, light meal that was perfect for a summer evening on the deck. I can't wait to make it again!

This is very similar to one of my favorite salads that they serve at a local restaurant. The recipe tasted almost exactly the same except I wouldn't have added as much vegetable oil to the dressing...it tasted too much like it. Strawberries are my favorite in it and I always add chicken.

This was an awesome salad! the dressing was amazing, however i did cut the sugar in half and it was still wonderful! I also sprinkled some star pastini over it and fried tortilla strips to go with it. The pecans taste wonderful if you toast them in just a little bit of butter and also salt. Love the recipe and will definitely make again!!!

The dressing was great... I added some marinated oranges and berries. I will definitely have this again. The girl I had over wanted the recipe for the dressing.

I would have given it 4 stars personnally but I had to give it 3 as the rest of my family didn't like it. I made the dressing exactly as indicated but if I were to make it again I would cut back on both the sugar and the oil. Go light on the dressing on the salad - it is quite sweet and very oily.

Loved the dressing. I originally cut the sugar in half, but ended up adding the rest in b/c I think it was really needed to balance out the vinegar & give the dressing more flavor. I don't necessarily like sweet dressing, but this was very, very good! Used the called for amt of oil & all the rest of the ingredients & used my blender to mix it all up. It was thick, but once on the salad it was fine. Yummy! Oh, and I used clementines and plain old pecans (not toasted...)

Great and quick to make! The dressing is very good but obviously the source of most of the calories as for most salads. That being said, it was great as is. I used raspberries but will experiment with other options.

My husband raved about this salad. The dressing is comparable to any restaurant's. Used raspberry balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. Excellent!

This is a terrific recipe that won me rave reviews from my guests. I made a few changes based on other reviews and what I had on hand or couldn't find in the store, but I think the dressing is the cornerstone and the star of the show that makes this recipe 5-star and extremely versatile. I made this underway on a sailboat, so to save steps I skipped marinating the chicken as other reviewers suggested, though I thought I might regret it. Instead, I sprinkled the chicken with a mixture of a little bit of (believe it or not!) Montreal Steak Seasoning, Everglades Seasoning, garlic powder and cinnamon (sounds weird, but is delicious!) on one side and salt & pepper on the other. This blend of flavors, though off-the-cuff, went beautifully with the flavor of the dressing. My grocery store didn't have Bibb lettuce, so I bought pre-packaged Boston mix, which turned out looking just as pretty. I used strawberries, blueberries and mandarin oranges, arranged prettily with the pecans, creating a beautiful color contrast. I did as other reviewers suggested and cut the amount of oil, but maybe too much as the dressing was a bit too runny. I agree that blending (instead of just whisking) the dressing is a step you don't want to skip if at all possible. I sometimes wonder why people give recipes 5 stars if they make all kinds of changes to it, but this really deserves it whether you customize or not.

I love this recipe! Tthe amount of oil is high so I cut it down to 1/4 cup olive oil and plain vinegar but threw in some strawberries in the blender as well to spruce up the favor. Still had way more than enough. Next time I shall use 1/8 and a dash of everything else. The nuts are totally optional. You just can't go wrong with this recipe. It is completely flexible.

This made a delicious and satisfying summer meal. After reading some other reviews, I decided to marinate my chicken in a mixture of white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, orange juice, seasoning blend (I used Penzey's Mural of Flavor) and a little honey. The chicken was juicy and tender with a great flavor. I also used raspberry wine vinegar, a little less sugar, and no onion in the dressing. It was such a nice complement to the strawberries, pecans, & chicken! I grilled a few pieces of garlic toast alongside the chicken the last minute or two of grilling and ended up with a wonderful, warm-weather meal! Thanks for the recipe - it's sure to become a "go-to" meal especially in the summer months!

We love this dressing! I had some shallots, so I used those instead of onion and it was divine!

Excellent. My whole family loves it.

Excellent. My dinner guests raved about the blend of flavours and the dressing. My modifications were as follows: I reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup. I reduced the oil to 2/3 of a cup. I minced half a shallot and this was sufficient onion. Even in making these changes there was more than enough dressing. I substituted diced pink grapefruit, orange, and pear for the strawberries. Lastly, I used red and green Baby Romaine instead of the Bibb lettuce. I recommend not tossing the salad with the dressing. Serve it on the side allowing your guests the opportunity of satisfying their individual needs. I have made this salad with chunks of cooked salmon (skin removed) and it was excellent as well. Thanks, Karena.

My 13 year old daughter found this recipe herself and made it for dinner (with a little help from me). We all loved it. It was delicious.

I loved this recipe. I made it for my daughter and her family (including toddlers). It is refreshing and wonderfully tasty. I will definitely make it again. I have made the dressing for other salads. Great recipe.

I used fresh rasberries, tomatoes and avacados. fantastic! The dressing is sweet and tasty. This is a keeper!

This salad was Delish! I added feta cheese and dried cranberries but did everything else exactly according to the recipe.

the dressing, made with raspberry vinegar, is so delicious! good stuff! this salad is tasty, refreshing and pretty to look at....we love it!

Absolutely delicious! Works well with mandarin oranges.

This was a nice, refreshing salad to have for dinner last night, especially since our temps have been in the 90s! After reading the reviews I decided to cut the sugar in half, but after tasting it, I added another 2 t. My dressing was very thick and I had to add some water to thin it to drizzling consistency. I added mandarin oranges along with the strawberries and had a beautiful, yummy salad! Thank you!

This salad is easy, yummy and pretty, but I just couldn't put all of that sugar in (I think I put in about half) and be careful not to overdo it on the onion. I used the amount of onion called for, but maybe the onion I used was larger than average? Also about 1/8 teaspoon of Cayenne, gave a tiny little kick that I really liked.

I liked this, as did my husband, and I will probably make it again. But, it is surprisingly mild. It seemed to lack a little.... je ne sais quois. Maybe I'll try adding another vegetable or some cheese next time, and/or using raspberry vinegar, as another review suggested.

I've made this twice and it's the best salad I've ever had!

I tried this with the oranges. Wonderful! This was enjoyed by my guests as well. So easy and a terrific meal.

Probably the best salad dressing I have ever had. Yum yum!!!

Awesome recipe; this is great for those nights when you need a quick dinner without sacrificing taste. It is also a very forgiving recipe - use less sugar or oil if you prefer; I've also substituted dry roasted peanuts or almonds for the pecans and sliced mango in place of the strawberries. Delicious!

This salad is simple, with few ingredients, but varying the fruit and/or type of greens provides a lot of flexibility. I made this recipe with raspberries, and will try others. The dressing was excellent. Great fresh taste.

great sweet salad. next time i will 1/2 the sugar.

Very yummy salad. The onion should be half of a SMALL onion. I used half of a large onion and even though I thought it was a bit much I wanted to try the recipe as is. It was still delicious but by the end of the meal my eyes were burning!

I was in the mood for something cool and light with these summer temperatures. This recipe was right on target! My husband and I LOVED it! I would highly recommend this salad!

Fantastic.

I used fresh strawberries and blackberries and added some asiago cheese. Everyone loved it! My friend who doesn't like salads had seconds!

This is an absolutely easy terrific recipe-the salad dressing makes this recipe special!

I loved this salad because it was fresh and light, perfect for a summer day. I didn't have red wine vinegar so I used a Japanese seasoned vinegar and because of that I added less than a quarter of the sugar, but I still thought the dressing was a little too sweet. If you were using an unseasoned vinegar then some sugar is necessary but I will use the same vinegar as I did before but leave the sugar out completely next time and then I think the recipe will be worth 5 stars!

Wonderful! My kids loved it. I used a rotisserie chicken rather than grilling my own just because I'm lazy and pressed for time. The dressing was great. Even my kid who hates onions liked the dressing. :-)

I used tangerine slices. Dressing is yummy!

Great. I added mandrin oranges. maybe nextime pineapple tidbits, blueberries. You could also cut back a little on the sugar.

Fabulous; tastes like a restaurant salad. I used red onion in the dressing and the kids asked I flavored it with starwberries; it was pretty and tasty. This is a keeper. For faster prep, I keep grilled chicken breast strips in the freezer. I used only 1/2 cup of veg oil for the dressing.

This is a wonderful salad. My whole family enjoyed this. I will make this again and again. Thank you.

Great dish. I made it with raspberries, blueberries, green and red grapes and mandarin oranges. Marinated the chicken in orange juice, garlic, wine vinegar and a mix of spices. Fantastic meal, I'll be making it again.

WOW. BEST salad I've had in quite a while. Made this last week for the hubby and was worried about the thick consistency of the dressing. Not anymore - this will be a new staple in our house. Can't wait to make it again! (PS - used 1/4 instead of 1/2 cup of sugar - still awesome.)

This was just ok. Tried to save time and used a rotisserie chicken. Think that may have been the problem because it was lacking some spice. Maybe also doubling the sauce as some reviewers have suggested would help also

Very nice flavors, though I thought 1/2 an onion was too much, and will cut back to 1/4 next time. Did not have pecans or strawberries so I used walnuts and raspberries over iceberg lettuce, and threw in avocado, tomato, cucumber and mushrooms. Thanks for the recipe!

This was terrific! The dressing was light and flavorful.

I'll give it a 4 cause I didn't care for the dressing however my wife loved it.I'll make this again...happy wife=happy life

I found this recipe about a month ago and it is wonderful! The salad dressing is very versatile...we've used various fruits, different types of meat and lettuce. We grilled pork chops and used apples, walnuts and the cherry craisins - yummy! The first time I made this recipe, I mistakenly added ground nutmeg to the dressing. It was awesome. So I've never tried it without. I also substitute dried minced onion in place of fresh, splenda in place of the sugar, and grapeseed oil is really good in place of the traditional vegetable oil. I would definitely marinade your meat, if you have the time. For the chicken, try the McCormick's Grill Mates - Baja Citrus - it's very tasty! Thanks for the great recipe...we've made it several times already and it will be used just as much in the future!

Good. Dressing has a bit too much onion. I saved some time on the chicken by using Tyson grilled and ready. Overall took me 15 min.

This was amazing! The recipie seems very forgiving for substitutions. This was a spur of the moment lunch. I was out of oil so I used italian dreesing and then just omited the onion and used some wine I had in the fridgeand 1/2 the amount of sweetner using truvia.No pecans and used spring mix,spinach and a little romain instead of bibb and was still amazing! I will make this again and again. Thank you shor sharing!

Yum! The dressing is fab! I find that the full recipe for the dressing is too much, though. I usually decrease the amount of sugar, and sometimes, use Splenda instead. I always use strawberries. :)

Wow! This was really good. I used iceberg instead of bib lettuce, and added radishes because my 5 year old loves them. I only used 1/3 cup sugar and 3/4 cup oil for the dressing, and used fresh strawberries. Will definitely make again- everyone enjoyed it.

THIS ROCKS!!!!!! My hubby said, you finally did it, you made a salad at home that's as good as the restaurant!! I've always wanted to do that. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

Absolutely incredible! Best salad I have ever eaten. Followed the recipe exactly.

My family loves this salad!!! I have made it 4 times in the last 6 weeks and they cheer every time. Tonight I used toasted almonds instead of pecans using what I had. Cooking the chicken on George Foreman Grill really make this a fast meal.

This is a GREAT salad! I cut the oil in half to reduce calories and fat. My husband agreed that this was the kind of salad we usually only get in restaurants.

Excellent! The toasted pecans were a great touch, and next time I'll probably add more than the recipe calls for. For the dressing, I recommend using half of the sugar and half of the oil. That's how I made it, and it tasted delicious.

Replaced vegetable oil with EV Olive oil and used half the amount of it as well as half the sugar in the dressing and it was perfect!

What a great salad! This is a lovely and delicious entree salad. I subbed Splenda for the sugar in the dressing and it was still wonderful. We'll definitely be having this again!

This was great! Light, healthy and perfect for Summer.

I made this salad tonight, my picky daughters & myself LOVED IT! The changes I made was I only used 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Others thought the sauce was too sweet, I think it came out perfect. I used 1 head of iceberg lettuce. I marinated the chicken in creamy italian dressing for 10 mins before cooking. DO NOT let the pecans cook for 8 mins, I almost burned them. Add 1 teaspoon of butter to the pan & let them brown on LOW HEAT for about 3 mins. I also omitted the onion & the mustard. I don't think its needed. I used strawberries and 2 mandarin fruit cups and added te juice to the sauce. YUMMY & DELICIOUS is what I have to say about this recipe. I will DEFINITELY make this again!

For the chicken I used the recipe from the site "Unbelievable Chicken". I made that for dinner and double the chicken and then used it for this salad the next night. Incredible! A great summer meal with a glass of wine!

Simple and delicious!

Amazingly good!

OMG! I made this last night and I have to agree with reviewer Cliff when he said ".. when you took a bite with bits of each the explosion of flavor in your mouth was pure extasy". He is absolutely right! I had my doubts about this recipe but I'm sure glad I made it. I followed the recipe with two exceptions. Reduced both the oil and sugar to 1/2 cup each (as others suggested) and blended well (daughter hates onions). Added fresh strawberries (sliced very thin), canned mangos and canned mandarin oranges (also cut into tiny pieces). Excellent recipe. I worried it might be too healthy to be decadent. Boy was I wrong! I didn't think anything this healthy and low in calories could taste sooo good. It was sinfully good! Thanks sooo much for the recipe Karena! Definitely going into my year round rotation!

I had some friends over so we had 4 picky kids plus adults to feed. This was great because the kids could still pick out the foods they like to eat and leave off any dressings & eat a good meal. I served it with pears and craisins. It was delicious & we had cornbread on the side.

This was really good! I made exactly as is except that I added one ripe avocado and marinated the chicken in a zesty italian dressing. Will def make this again!

This dressing is the perfect complement to this salad!

This recipe was great...I did make the following modifications- I only used 1/3 cup of sugar in the dressing- it was perfect blend!! For the pecans, I used 2 tbs brown sugar and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!! By mixing the dry ingredients only, I was able to keep the salad for two days, as it makes a great addition to any menu.

Made this tonight as it was easy and my wife was so deserving of a break + with one guest coming I wanted something different. Fantastic! Only change I made was substituted white for brown sugar. Everyone loved this salad. Thanks for sharing.

A good salad to make for a luch gathering. The vineagrette dressing is delicious!

Made this as a side salad to dinner with out the chicken and it was Fabulous. Used only 1/4 red onion. Color of dressing not great looking, but taste great. I agree, this is quality salad you usually get out. Easy to make and everyone from 20YO male to 70 YO female loved it. Had a little trouble w/pecans, burned them twice. 8 min on med high seems like too much. Cooked them on low and watched carefully. Will make again, thank you!

I can't get enough of this salad. I've made it every which way depending on what ingredients I have on hand, strawberries or oranges, pecans or even regular untoasted roasted almonds, it still tastes delicious! The dressing makes all the difference. Definitely, definitely a keeper.

yum! this is a delicious summer dinner recipe. i made the dressing as written & it was great, not too sweet after all. doubled the strawberries & added a can of drained mandarin oranges as an extra treat. i couldn't find bibb lettuce at my grocers so we made our salad's base with mixed field greens. many thanks karena!

Made this for 75 Ladys At a church reteat in 2011. they could not get enough. Lots of complements

This is also great if you take out the chicken and replace with 3 oz. cream cheese cut into small chunks (freeze it first) I also add chopped onion. Sounds weird but it is my signature salad!

OMG!!! So Good! The only change I made was to add only half the sugar. I made it with apples, but I can tell it would be good with any type of fruit - very versatile. My husband loved it too - Said it was the best dinner salad he has ever had!

Great salad! Instead of vegtable oil, I used extra virgin olive oil, honey roasted almonds, Splenda(instead of sugar) and of course, strawberries.

My husband and I thought this recipe was pretty good except for the salad dressing. I made the mistake of mincing half a red onion for the salad dressing and it was way too much onion and the taste was too strong. We ended up eating it with zesty italian dressing. I cooked the chicken in the George Foreman grill too and that turned out good.

What a great recipe for dinner on a hot day! I combined the advice of several other reviewers and reduced the sugar in the dressing to 1/4 cup, the vegetable oil to 2/3 cup and used 1/2 a minced shallot for the onion. To toast the pecans, I put them in a 325 degree oven for 4 minutes - no problem with scorching this way. I did use strawberries, as local ones have just come out, but look forward to trying this recipe with other fruit as others have suggested. There is also dressing left over to put on greens. Thanks for the recipe Karena

Great recipe! Others suggested reducing the oil and sugar and I did so. The dressing was delicious. I had no vegetable oil so I used EVOO and shallot instead of onion. I used Romaine lettuce,fresh strawberries and forgot the pecans. For the chicken I marinated it overnight in the white wine vinegar, orange juice and herbs of Provence. This gave the chicken a great flavor. I would use this recipe again and try other salad greens and fruits.

This reciepe was great! I use wild blueberries that we picked and fresh pealed peaches. Will definately be making this again.

You won't be dissapointed if you try this recipe!!! I used the Foreman grill and it took no time to put this recipe together and serve. Love the dressing, it makes the salad pop!

I loved this recipe. I usually never make my own salad dressings, but after making this one I'm going to try and make my own from now on. I used fresh rasberrys and cut up orange slices on this salad, but I can see using just about any kind of fresh fruit. I also added slices of fried up wontons for a little extra crunch. If you love sweetness on chicken and like salads with life, you won't regret making this one.

I needed a side salad to go along with our dinner and came across this recipe. Since it wasn't our main dish, I left out the chicken - and it was wonderful! The onion was a teeny bit too strong (I used a yellow onion), but I think it would have been fine if I hadn't left the chicken out. I also served the dressing on the side so the leftovers wouldn't get mushy.

Very good salad! My husband and I both really liked it. We used strawberries and it was delicious. We love having some variety in our salads.

I used dijon mustard instead of dry and cut back on the sugar. Delicious!

Wonderful recipe. Simple, easy and elegant...and so very adaptable. Even if you change the fruit, the nuts and/or the method of cooking the chicken, it will still be delicious. I baked the brined chicken at 360 for 20 minutes, with a light basting of balsamic vinaigrette (grilling was not an option) but otherwise followed the recipe. Alas, there were no left-overs. Everyone asked for the recipe. This is definitely a keeper - so simple to prepare and so good to eat.

absolutely wonderful. the sauce is kinda ugly but tastes great and makes a great medium between the strawberries and the salad.

This was a wonderful and filling salad! We LOVED the dressing!

I used raspberry vinegar, 3/4 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of water and replaced the sugar with Stevia. It was a huge hit with the friends I made it for who asked for the recipe for the dressing.

Delicious! I substituted raspberries for strawberries, Splenda for sugar, spring mix for the bibb lettuce, and added some feta cheese. Came out great...everybody raved.

To really add a little more depth of flavor, coat the chicken with Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb blend. I have only done this in a skillet lightly oiled with olive oil, so am not sure if it would burn on the grill or not. This gives a great contrast of flavors with the sweet dressing and fruit.

Delicious and refreshing! I made it with oranges and it was terrific!