This Tropical Chicken Salad is a fresh, Island inspired dish that’s super simple to put together and it’s so flavorful and satisfying! It’s loaded up with fresh fruit and greens so if you’re in the mood for fresher meals and to get more produce into your diet, this salad is a delicious dish you will crave!
It’s a great blend of healthy carbs, fresh greens and wholesome fruit making it a filling meal that curbs your sweet tooth and keeps your nutrition and calories in check. Because of it’s nutrient density and flavor-fullness it’s so filling and satisfying and one dish that will freshen up your lunch meals!
What makes this Tropical Chicken Salad stand out is it’s Island Inspired fruit! Adding fruit to salads is a great way to add nutrients, fiber and healthy carbs to your diet.Another great reason to add fruit, especially citrus fruit like the mandarin oranges and fresh pineapple found in this dish, can boost flavor, provide sweet and juiciness and act as a dressing itself. So if you’re looking for ways to reduce calories or stay within a calorie budget, enjoying citrus fruit on salads can be a great alternative to dressing!
This recipe is super simple to make up fresh or can easily be prepped ahead to enjoy for a few lunches throughout the week! All you need is a few wholesome ingredients and some nice salad prep containers and you’ll be ready for a few clean eating meals in no time!
RECIPE INSPO
One of my favorite things to do while I’m on vacation is to dine out! It’s not something we do very often in general just because we love cooking and being home but on vacation is a different story. It’s such a treat not having to worry about cooking and cleaning up or deciding on a meal plan. So while on vacay I do love checking out the local eateries and trying to find super fun and healthy dishes to try out and recreate! Plus the different restaurants and settings is a nice getaway especially if they’re on the water!
This dish was inspired by one of our meals out at a fun Caribbean / Island Style restaurant. The salad was amazing, it had all the right flavors and textures and it was so big and filling but in a good way. Everything was really fresh, we sat outside on their patio in the Florida sunshine, had some fun drinks, good food while a local played some Islandy music. So the Florida / Tropical vibes were great and I had to come home and recreate the salad to soak up more freshness and share it with you!
MAKE THIS DISH
There are ways to amp the flavor up with this dish and give it more of a summery feel or you can keep it a little more on the simple side like I did to get a really great flavor with a few less steps! I’ll share those steps in the Flavor Boost Section so you can enjoy it however It fits your day or save it for later to try it both ways when you have more time!
INGREDIENTS:
3oz Chicken Breast – cooked and diced, *flavored in Caribbean seasoning- see notes
1/4C Diced Pineapple – canned in 100% pineapple juice
1/2C Strawberries, fresh, rinsed hulled and sliced
2 Small mandarin oranges, peeled and separated
2Tsp, Sunflower Seeds
2TBL Feta Cheese Crumbles
3Cups Spring Mix +Spinach mixture; organic, pre-washed, chopped
The Dressing
This is optional as you can skip this step and opt for a clean label store bought dressing. Something like a honey lemon or a poppy seed would pair so good with this salad.
Make Mine: Island Vinaigrette – it’s sweet, light and perfect for this citrusy salad
2TBl Olive Oil
1/4C Apple Cider Vinegar
1TBL Dijon Mustard
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/2tsp Basil or 2 small fresh leaves – rinsed and chopped
1TBL Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Chicken:
Batch prepping chicken ahead is such a time-saver and helps so much in keeping you on track to clean, nutritious eating throughout the week because it make it so fast to put meals like this Tropical Chicken Salad together in just a few minutes.
To Batch Prep:
Clean the Chicken Breast by removing fat and discarding, then rinse and gently pat dry.
Next mix together the Caribbean seasoning or your favorite dry chicken rub. Let sit about 10 minutes while you clean up or prepare something additional.
Coat a large non stick, non toxic skillet with 1-2TBL olive oil, Let heat up about 1 minute, Add the chicken breast. Allow to cook about 6-8 minutes on one side then flip and cook about 6-8 minutes on the other side and until the internal temperature is cooked through to 165* F.
Once cooked, remove from heat, allow the chicken to rest about 10 minutes while you prepare the produce and dressing for the salad.
Allow the chicken to cool. Once cool but into strips or bite sized pieces for the salad. Cool completely then place in the fridge and store for a later meal unless you’re making the salads right way. Then continue to cool, as you prepare the salad.
5 MINUTE SALAD PREP
Start with the Lettuce greens.Give the spring mix and spinach mixture a rough chop. I like to use kitchen shears to give the lettuce a quick chop so it’s more into bite sized pieces.
Next remove strawberry tops, rinse, dry by shaking excess water from the colander and pat dry with a paper towel to further capture moisture, then slice the strawberries. Set aside.
Peel and split the mandarin oranges into sections, you can chop if you prefer smaller bites but I leave them whole. Then drain the pineapple.
For the Dressing:
Use your favorite clean ingredient store bought dressing for a shortcut.
Basic Island Dressing:
Place all dressing ingredients into a glass measuring dish large enough for a small immersion blender. I used a 4 Cup bowl. Next, whisk ingredients together until well combined. Then using an immersion blender stick, blend all ingredients together until the spices are broken down and a smooth consistency. Divide into to servings, store the in small containers and keep in fridge up to a week. Drizzle on top of salad when ready to eat! Enjoy!
ASSEMBLE
Place about 3 Cups of the lettuce greens in a large salad bowl, top with about 3oz of cooked and cubed chicken breast, the strawberries, oranges and pineapple. Top with Feta cheese and the sunflower seeds.
Drizzle with the Island dressing and enjoy!
To Amp Up the Flavor
I like to share recipes that are healthy, simple and pretty quick to put together however with a little more time and prep you can really elevate the flavors of your dishes and sometimes it really doesn’t take all that much longer to get a better tasting dish, Here are a few ways to Amp this salads flavor up;
For the chicken: Slice the chicken breast in half after prepping it as instructed then gently flatten the chicken breast with a meat mallet. Start by putting the chicken breast in between parchment or baking paper. Then using the flat side of a mallet, gently pound the chicken from the inside outward to a flatter consistency. This creates even cooking and tenderizing the chicken.
For the Pineapple- Firs option is to swap canned pineapple for fresh pineapple! Simple slice, core and peel the pineapple then dice into small bite sized pieces. Fresh pineapple is so much more flavorful then canned and it’s more close to it’s natural form so a bit more nutritious too!
Next, char it! If you have a little extra time, try grilling or pan frying the pineapple to give it a nice char flavor that is so good on this salad. Start by heating a tsp of olive oil or coconut oil in a small non-stick fry pan on medium low heat. Add the pineapple and cook until slightly brown and a little crisp.
PREP AHEAD
To prep this ahead, adjust the serving sizes to accommodate for more salad servings then follow the assembly instructions but instead of placing the salad in a large salad bowl, place the salad in either meal prep containers or large Tupperware type of bowls that come with a lid.
Place all ingredients in each salad bowl. Cover and keep in fridge up to 5 days. Keep the dressing in a separate container(s) and store in fridge also.
MEAL PREP TIPS:
To prevent sogginess: I would only prep this salad two days out at the most as the fruit contains a lot of moisture and will cause your lettuce to get soggy and wilt. If that doesn’t bother you then prepping up to 4-5 days would be a great option.
To save time: Skip cooking the chicken and swap for a rotisserie chicken instead. Also, purchase a store bought dressing to further save time and reduce dishes and clean up as well.
For a Dairy Free Version: Skip the feta cheese and opt for no cheese at all or a healthy non-dairy cheese alternative
For a Vegetarian Option: Skip the chicken and swap for canned chickpeas. I would season them up and roast them to add flavor and crunch as well!
Ingredients
For the Salad
3oz Chicken Breast - cooked and diced, *flavored in Caribbean or your favorite seasoning
1/4C Diced Pineapple - canned in 100% pineapple juice
1/2C Strawberries, fresh, rinsed hulled and sliced
2 Small mandarin oranges, peeled and separated
2 Tsp, Sunflower Seeds
2TBL Feta Cheese Crumbles
3Cups Spring Mix +Spinach mixture; organic, pre-washed, chopped
For the Dressing
2TBl Olive Oil
1/4C Apple Cider Vinegar
1TBL Honey Dijon
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/2tsp Basil
1TBL Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with the Lettuce greens. Give the spring mix and spinach mixture a rough chop. I like to use kitchen shears to give the lettuce a quick chop so it's more into bite sized pieces.
- Next remove strawberry tops, rinse, dry by shaking excess water from the colander and pat dry with a paper towel to further capture moisture, then slice the strawberries. Set aside.
- Peel and split the mandarin oranges into sections, you can chop if you prefer smaller bites but I leave them whole. Then drain the pineapple.
ASSEMBLE
- Place about 3 Cups of the lettuce greens in a large salad bowl.
- Top with about 3oz of cooked and cubed chicken breast, the strawberries, oranges and pineapple.
- Top with Feta cheese and the sunflower seeds.
- Drizzle with the Island dressing and enjoy!
Notes
MEAL PREP TIPS:
To prevent sogginess: Prep this salad two days out at the most as the fruit contains a lot of moisture and will cause the lettuce to get soggy and wilt. If that doesn't bother you- prepping up to 4-5 days would be a great option.
To save time: Skip cooking the chicken and swap for a rotisserie chicken instead. Also, purchase a store bought dressing to further save time and reduce dishes and clean up as well.
For a Dairy Free Version: Skip the feta cheese and opt for no cheese at all or a healthy non-dairy cheese alternative
For a Vegetarian Option: Skip the chicken and swap for canned chickpeas. I would season them up and roast them to add flavor and crunch as well!
For the Caribbean Seasoned Chicken: I used a blend of spices as a dry rub then cooked the chicken in olive oil and fresh garlic. Here is my spice blend: cumin, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, parsley. fresh minced garlic and ground cinnamon