Spinach Salad with Pistachio Chicken

Rating: 4.64 stars
67 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 52
  • 4 star values: 9
  • 3 star values: 4
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 1

This is a tasty dinner salad, topped with tender slices of pistachio encrusted chicken. To save time, buy pistachios with the shells already removed. If you don't care for spinach, you can substitute field greens. Serve with crusty French bread.

By Sara
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Ingredients

4
Original recipe yields 4 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Place pistachio in a food processor or blender, and pulse until finely diced. Sprinkle half of diced pistachios onto a large plate.

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  • Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Press chicken breast halves into the pistachio pieces, adding more diced nuts to the plate as needed. Sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic powder and black pepper. Place in the skillet, and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove chicken to a cutting board, and slice into thin slices.

  • Into four bowls, place equal amounts of spinach leaves, tomatoes, avocado, bell pepper, and green onions. Place chicken slices on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, pour on Balsamic vinegar, and season with black pepper.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
616.2 calories; 40.5 g protein; 31.2 g carbohydrates; 73.9 mg cholesterol; 860.1 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

Reviews (44)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

naples34102
Rating: 5 stars
11/30/2011
They say actions (or pictures) speak louder than words so I invite you to take a peek at my submitted photo of this salad because it shows how much I enjoyed this salad far more accurately than any words could express. On the rare occasions Hubs goes out of town on a business trip without me I look for a dinner to prepare for myself that is easily scaled to one serving so main dish salads seem to work perfectly for me. I sure do find some good ones including this particular salad. I made the salad itself just as written no changes no substitutions the ingredients were all good choices that blended well together and I especially liked the addition of the avocado which was SO delicious with the pistachio coated chicken. But I did make some changes to how I prepared the chicken. I couldn t see the pistachios sticking very well to the chicken breast as the recipe was written so I first soaked the chicken in buttermilk then coated it in a mixture of the finely chopped pistachios and panko bread crumbs. Just as I suspected the mixture coated the chicken thoroughly. As for the dressing I used some vinaigrette I had leftover from another recipe I tried recently and it couldn t have been a better choice for this salad. I m not typically a fan of cold and crunchy dinners but this one was a real winner with me that I d happily make again in a heartbeat. Read More
Helpful
(89)

Most helpful critical review

Rachel
Rating: 3 stars
03/26/2012
Good choice of ingredients make this salad great. The only reason I gave this three instead of five stars is the expense of the ingredients and the fact that my grocery store doesn't carry shelled pistachios. With the expense and amount of work I am not sure this recipe is a repeater for us. I also don't see much flavor/texture gained by coating the chicken (a more labor intensive approach) vs. just toasting and sprinkling with nuts afterwards. Also if you don't flatten the chicken and/or fillet it you'll burn the pistachios before the chicken is even close to done. Read More
Helpful
(10)
67 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 52
  • 4 star values: 9
  • 3 star values: 4
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 1
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
naples34102
Rating: 5 stars
11/29/2011
They say actions (or pictures) speak louder than words so I invite you to take a peek at my submitted photo of this salad because it shows how much I enjoyed this salad far more accurately than any words could express. On the rare occasions Hubs goes out of town on a business trip without me I look for a dinner to prepare for myself that is easily scaled to one serving so main dish salads seem to work perfectly for me. I sure do find some good ones including this particular salad. I made the salad itself just as written no changes no substitutions the ingredients were all good choices that blended well together and I especially liked the addition of the avocado which was SO delicious with the pistachio coated chicken. But I did make some changes to how I prepared the chicken. I couldn t see the pistachios sticking very well to the chicken breast as the recipe was written so I first soaked the chicken in buttermilk then coated it in a mixture of the finely chopped pistachios and panko bread crumbs. Just as I suspected the mixture coated the chicken thoroughly. As for the dressing I used some vinaigrette I had leftover from another recipe I tried recently and it couldn t have been a better choice for this salad. I m not typically a fan of cold and crunchy dinners but this one was a real winner with me that I d happily make again in a heartbeat. Read More
Helpful
(89)
erin.macdonald14
Rating: 5 stars
05/24/2011
This was an excellent salad! Very filling and hearty:) I made it with baby spinach cucumber tomatoes red peppers avocado and made my own balsamic vinaigrette (3/4 extra virgin olive oil 3/4 balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp oregano 1-2 tsp mustard 1 clove garlic dash of salt and pepper). Read More
Helpful
(40)
Caroline
Rating: 5 stars
12/29/2006
Easy and Delicious!!!! The green onions are a must. Read More
Helpful
(27)
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Elvira Silva
Rating: 5 stars
01/30/2012
One of the best salads I've ever had! I have made it two times first time followed recipe exactly second time I flollowed other reviwers suggestions of adding bread crumbs to the pistachios and I liked it more when using only pistachios...I also soaked the chicken in buttermilk to tenderize it and to help pistachios stick better to the chicken. Read More
Helpful
(13)
JENNY-REDS
Rating: 4 stars
04/10/2012
I'm giving this 4 stars because while the salad was really good I don't think the pistachio chicken lent a ton of flavor. The pistachios seemed to get lost and burnt a little. I even pounded my chicken out thin before cooking. I like someone elses idea of simply toasting the pistachios and sprinkling them on the salad separately. I made my own balsamic dressing as well. Read More
Helpful
(11)
Rachel
Rating: 3 stars
03/26/2012
Good choice of ingredients make this salad great. The only reason I gave this three instead of five stars is the expense of the ingredients and the fact that my grocery store doesn't carry shelled pistachios. With the expense and amount of work I am not sure this recipe is a repeater for us. I also don't see much flavor/texture gained by coating the chicken (a more labor intensive approach) vs. just toasting and sprinkling with nuts afterwards. Also if you don't flatten the chicken and/or fillet it you'll burn the pistachios before the chicken is even close to done. Read More
Helpful
(10)
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Anne Kelley
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2010
Really good! and pretty Read More
Helpful
(8)
Christine
Rating: 5 stars
04/30/2011
This was as beautiful as it was delicious! I am always on the look out for a main meal salads and am glad I found this recipe. Read More
Helpful
(7)
carmalex
Rating: 5 stars
12/12/2011
Five 1!! Incredible salad! I found the crushed pistachios adhered extremely well to the chicken. This meal was just what one needs in a pinch for something that can be put together rather quickly. We all enjoyed this very much! Read More
Helpful
(7)
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