This is a great recipe as both an entree and a side dish…..with or without the chicken.
Delicious. I love how strawberries and balsamic taste with goat cheese. I made some changes to this. I used used 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar instead of the balsamic vinaigrette. I also used a spring salad mix instead of spinach. I also found a box of sesame candied pecans at an asian grocery store that really made a good finish to this salad. I think for an added taste, sliced pears or apples would go well too.
Read MoreDelicious. I love how strawberries and balsamic taste with goat cheese. I made some changes to this. I used used 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar instead of the balsamic vinaigrette. I also used a spring salad mix instead of spinach. I also found a box of sesame candied pecans at an asian grocery store that really made a good finish to this salad. I think for an added taste, sliced pears or apples would go well too.
Very nice mix of ingredients that were simple, straight forward and uncomplicated, but when mixed together, gave the salad a "wow" factor. Used grilled chicken and added blueberries that needed to be used and an extra tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. This is a very pretty salad and perfect for a warm summer's day. Thank you for the submission Missskittypoo.
I really enjoyed this recipe, even though I had to make last minute changes. I live in a rural area, and don't have acess to some ingredients -ie: goat cheese, and candied pecans :( BUT.. I added a little red onion, a little red pepper, and toasted the plain baking pecans i had in the pantry. The strawberries, red onion, and balsamic vinagrette was YUMMY!!
This was simple and excellent. I also used balsamic vinegar instead of vinagrette. I added dried cranberries and fresh dandelion leaves, and overall had a great sweet/bitter contrast. A good light meal for summer.
O.M.G. amazing. I skipped the candied pecans in favor of plain old walnut pieces, and it was STILL awesome. Yummmmmm.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and although I didn't follow this recipe to the "T" I did really enjoy the mix of flavors and texture. Instead of using the balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing I used Brianna’s Home Style Blush Wine Vinaigrette Dressing (it’s what I had at the time). It was more of a thin dressing that added a mild flavor. I also used a spring mix instead of just plain spinach and blue cheese as opposed to the suggested goat cheese. I couldn’t find any candied pecans so I just lightly toasted them with a sprinkle of brown sugar and it was amazing. One thing that I do suggest is to let the chicken chill so that the greens don’t get soggy. I also added some craisins to the salad for a little more taste and texture. Overall, this salad was surprisingly delicious and I would make it over and over again.
It’s been pretty hot here, so salads are sounding good for dinner. I made this one, making a number of substitutions based on preferences and what I had on hand. I made this using leaf lettuce, feta cheese and sautéed pecans, not candied. I also threw in some blueberries in addition to the strawberries. I skipped the olive oil altogether and used Our Favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette by MATTSBELLY, also on this site. Hubs grilled the chicken, basting it the last few minutes with some of the balsamic dressing. After grilling I let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, sliced and placed atop the salad. This was very good and the balsamic dressing paired very well with the chicken and fruit. I’d certainly make this one again.
Great salad. I just made it for a baby shower and everyone was raving about it. It was easy to make and did not require a lot of last minute preparation. I will certainly make this again.
My husbanmd loves this salad! I make my own balsamic dressing by putting balsamic, a little dijon mustard and a little honey in a sauce pan and reducing it till it's dressing thickness.
Amazing salad! I add dried cranberries. Its very much like a salad served at The Keg.
I used a little Mediterranean seasoning on the chicken and raspberry vinaigrette instead of balsamic and it was awesome.
Admittedly, I did change a few things based on what I had on hand. I omitted the goat cheese (mine had gotten moldy and weird) and used left over chicken pieces from a rotisserie chicken I'd picked up from the grocery store. I served it with with toasted, buttered baguette slices. As my boyfriend put it, "Dinner was weird but good." I think it would be a lot better if I'd made the chicken as the recipe stated instead of using leftover chicken. Still, it was a satisfying and healthy dinner that didn't heat the kitchen up in the summer time. I'll make it again.
We love this recipe as it stands, but it is the type of salad that can handle a tweak or change here and there if you do not like some ingredients or simply cannot get them. Now and then we substitute gouda for the goat cheese, add some toasted pepitos just for fun and use our own balsamic dressing. The bottom line is my family loves it and we've found the Cream of Fresh Asparagus Soup II is a perfect complement to this recipe. Add a little fresh bread on the side and you've got a meal that is filling without being heavy.
Made for supper tonight. I used 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette to cook the 3 chicken breasts,. The salad had a nice flavor. I used feta cheese for my salad and cheddar cheese for my husband's. Will make again.
I loved this salad! I could not find the candied pecans and used sliced almonds but it was just super.
I just made this today and realized I could have used the leftover juices from the balsamic chicken as a dressing. If the salad required more taste, I could've just added more vinaigrette. Otherwise fantastic, easy recipe!
I love fruit in my salads, so I loved this. I added a little Tuscan Herb Seasoning Blend to the chicken as it cooked, made my own glazed pecans and used a Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. The only addition I recommend is maybe a little chopped red onion, but otherwise this salad is perfect!
This was a hit at our gathering. I will definitely fix this again. I used "Red Raspberry Vinaigrette" from this site and it went perfectly with this salad. We never had goat cheese before and found we like it a lot more than feta cheese and it goes well with all the other ingredients.
Awesome recipe!! Made this for a finicky boyfriend and he loved it, too. Wouldn't change a thing! Definitely keeping this one. :)
My husband chose to make this for dinner for us and we both LOVED it! The sweetness of the nuts and strawberries is complimented perfectly by the saltiness of the balsamic and goat cheese!
Thought this was a great summer salad. I made my own balsamic vinaigrette and added 2 tsp. of strawberry jam to the vinaigrette and it was fabulous! Used feta instead of goat cheese - just a personal preference!
Wonderful. I paired it with the Candied Pecans recipe on this site posted by "Alix" .
Loved this! Changed it to make it Vegetarian friendly by using a non-chicken product which I baked first as per the product directions and then followed the recipe directions. I left out the goat's cheese because I don't care for it and served it over white rice. It was delicious. The flavor of the pecans, balsamic, and strawberry was fantastic. Can't wait to make again.
This was artisan type salad and as good as restaurant quality from my own kitchen! I made homemade raspberry vinagrette dressing from a recipe I found here. I don't know how much spinach a bunch is, but I used approx. 4 cups of baby spinach prepackaged from a clamshell. I grabbed 2 big handfuls so I really didn't measure but it filled a 7 cups salad bowl very loosely. I toasted some slivered almonds since I didn't have the candies nuts. I used Feta crumbles for the cheese. This was soo delicious that I nearly ate the whole thing. I cut this in half to make only 1 serving. This was perfect for my brown bag lunch! It sure felt fancy with this tasty salad.
We loved it! Made a homemade balsamic vinaigrette with shallots and garlic, and made my own candied pecans, served the chicken on the side! Very good!
The first time I made this I followed the recipe exactly and it was a 5 star recipe. The 2nd time I chose to alter it to my tastes and dietary needs. I also used 1/2 an avocado, sliced almonds instead of sugary pecans and lite poppy seed dressing. It too was 5 star. You don't have to follow each recipe exactly to enjoy it. If it's for a entrée I add the chicken and if it's a side salad, it's just as good without it. Thank Miss Kittyboo!
I love the combination of goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette and strawberries! Delicious recipe. I used normal pecan because I couldn't find candied ones, but it still turned out great.
Super light (substituted candied pecans for non candied walnuts due to calories) and very good.
Super light (substituted candied pecans for non candied walnuts due to calories) and very good.
I used prepackaged chicken strips to save time. Having ripe, juicy strawberries is key.
I love this salad and it was a big hit at my church potluck. I made my own candied pecans. I took some sour wood honey brought it to a boil then rolled some chopped pecans in the honey. It was very good. I also add chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds. I think I will add blueberries next time. This was my first experience with goat cheese. Goat cheese is awesome and will probably be a regular in my future salads.
