This Strawberry Preserves Salad with Chicken is super easy to make. It's the perfect meal when you have leftover chicken in the fridge and are craving something fresh with a touch of glam. Use your favorite salad greens, crumbled soft cheese, candied pecans and any veggies chillin' in the crisper drawer.
If supper on the table in under 10 minutes sounds good to you, keep reading! I'll talk you through how to make a simple dressing using strawberry preserves and what ingredients pair perfectly with it.
If you don't have leftover chicken, I've got you covered there, too! My easy air-fryer chicken is no-fuss and comes out perfectly cooked every time. A rotisserie chicken from the deli is always an option, too. Let's make a salad! Yay!
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I know, fancy salads seem like something that only restaurants can pull off. Here's the secret sauce (literally): it's all in the details! You can absolutely make a Pinterest-worthy salad with common ingredients you probably already have in your fridge!
First things first, if you don't have cooked chicken on hand, let's air fry some chicken breasts. Click this ink to go to my Air Fryer Chicken Breasts posts and follow the directions, then come back here while your chicken is cooking!
I also recommend either buying or baking some sourdough bread. My first choice would be a Sourdough Baguette or a Simple Loaf of Sourdough. If you are making a grocery list, I've gathered all the ingredients in the section below for you to easily reference!
Ingredients for Strawberry Preserves Salad With Chicken
- Strawberry preserves | The time saving trick to this salad is using store-bought or homemade strawberry preserves. Preserves and jelly aren't the same thing, just FYI. You want preserves for this recipe.
- Minced red onion | If you are mixing your dressing in a food processor or with a blender, chopping the onion finely isn't really a big deal. If you are mixing this by hand, take care to cut the onion into tiny pieces.
- Lemon | Every good salad dressing needs an acid. We are getting our acid two ways in this dressing: citrus and vinegar.
- Red wine vinegar | I really like the mellow flavor of red wine vinegar with strawberries. If you have balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or Strawberry Infused Vinegar, those would be really good options, too!
- Curry powder | It's optional, but adds a rich and warm flavor to the strawberry dressing. Both red or green curry powder are fine.
- Salt & pepper | Season to taste. I use about ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of Redmond's Real Salt or Sea Salt.
- Salad greens | Use what you have! Romaine, spring greens, baby spinach. Even microgreens will work!
- Cooked chicken | I absolutely LOVE cooking an extra chicken breast (or two!) on nights when we are grilling or using the air fryer. It doesn't take any extra time and gives us a quick portion for future meals! Here is my Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe if you need a little help with cooking times or tips!
Optional add-ins
- Feta cheese | 2 ounces of crumbled feta is perfect.
- Candied pecans | Is your guilty pleasure candied pecans? Yeah, same.
- Cherry tomatoes | When the garden is bursting, slice your cherrie tomatoes in half and toss them in!
- Fresh strawberries | Wash your strawberries and slice them thinly.
- Apple slices | Thinly slice the apples either in wedges or with a matchstick style.
- Microgreens | If you have access to microgreens, add a handful to this salad!
- Croutons | In the serving suggestion picture at the top of this post, I simply tore a few 1-inch pieces of sourdough baguette and added them to the salad.
Instructions
Pour the jar of preserves, minced onion, curry powder, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and juice of one lemon into a blender. Pulse until well combined.
Slice or shred the cooked chicken. It can be served cold or warmed.
Assemble the salad! Toss the salad greens and any desired add-ins like fresh strawberries, feta cheese, and candied pecans together. Layer the chicken on top and dollop with the strawberry dressing. Serve it up!
This salad is best eaten right away, but leftovers can be saved in the refrigerator for the next day. Just leave the dressing on the side. That's all there is to making Strawberry Preserves Salad With Chicken!
Hint: Double the recipe and save the extra portion for lunch tomorrow! Leave the dressing on the side and add it just before serving.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Strawberry Preserves Salad with Chicken
Equipment
- salad bowl
Ingredients
Strawberry Dressing
- 12 ounces strawberry preserves
- 3 tablespoons red onion minced
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts cooked
Salad
- 4 cups salad greens
- 2 ounces feta crumbled
- ½ cup candied pecans
- 6 strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Pour the jar of preserves, minced onion, curry powder, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and juice of one lemon into a blender. Pulse until well combined.
- Slice or shred the cooked chicken. It can be served cold or warmed. The best way to reheat cooked chicken is either in a skillet for one minute per side or in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes.
- Assemble the salad! Toss the salad greens and any desired add-ins like fresh strawberries, feta cheese, and candied pecans together. Layer the chicken on top and dollop with the strawberry dressing. Serve it up!
- This salad is best eaten right away, but leftovers can be saved in the refrigerator for the next day. Just leave the dressing on the side. That's all there is to making Strawberry Preserves Salad With Chicken!
Notes
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
- Feta cheese | 2 ounces of crumbled feta is perfect.
- Candied pecans | My two guilty pleasures of store-bough candied nuts are bourbon crusted pecans and honey roasted pecans.
- Cherry tomatoes | When the garden is bursting, slice your cherrie tomatoes in half and toss them in!
- Fresh strawberries | Wash your strawberries and slice them thinly.
- Apple slices | Thinly slice the apples either in wedges or with a matchstick style.
- Microgreens | If you have access to microgreens, add a handful to this salad!
- Croutons | In the serving suggestion picture at the top of this post, I simply tore a few 1-inch pieces of sourdough baguette and added them to the salad.
SUBSTITUTIONS
This is a super simple recipe. Feel free to dress it up or down, depending on your taste!- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes
- Sweet - add a tablespoon of honey and a pinch of ground cinnamon
- Kid friendly - substitute a teaspoon of onion powder for the red onion to hide the source of the flavor from picky eaters. Warning, the mild onion powder isn't as delicious as the spicy kick of a fresh red onion.
Nutrition
Substitutions
This is a super simple recipe. Feel free to dress it up or down, depending on your taste!
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes
- Sweet - add a tablespoon of honey and a pinch of ground cinnamon
- Kid friendly - substitute a teaspoon of onion powder for the red onion to hide the source of the flavor from picky eaters. Warning, the mild onion powder isn't as delicious as the spicy kick of a fresh red onion.
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Equipment
This salad dressing recipe can be made simply with some fancy knife skills and a mason jar. When you toss the ingredients in the blender and pulse them a few times, the flavors truly combine! I'm linking this Vitamix model that is similar to the one I have.
When I made this dressing tonight, I actually made it in a tall wide-mouthed mason jar and used an emersion blender to puree it.
Can this recipe be made vegan?
Absolutely! Leave out the chicken and substitute the feta for your favorite tangy cheese alternative.
Storage
Salads don't store well. If you are making this ahead of time, keep the salad ingredients prepped and separate and toss them together just before serving.
FAQ
Yes, but it will change the texture immensely. Strawberry preserves are thick and chunky, with bits of strawberry pieces inside. Strawberry jelly is smooth and will create a more liquid sauce.
Absolutely! This is a copycat recipe of my original Apricot Dressing that is made in a very similar way. Both of these dressings can be used on a sandwich, salad, or as a dip for bread.
More tasty salads!
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Joy
Delicious and easy to make! Thanks Meg
Meg
Thanks Joy! Maybe some day I can grow the strawberries instead of buying them... perhaps that can be our new garden goals for 2024!? Thanks for leaving a rating and review!