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Do you ever go crazy at the market? This Chicken and Fresh Berry Salad is the result of me having that very problem.
It happens quite often quite often, especially at this time of the year. It seems that beautiful produce is beginning to pop up everywhere, whether I’m shopping at local farm stands or my neighborhood grocery store.
This week it was berries, they were so pretty and I had so many types to choose from. I came home with strawberries from a nearby patch, plump blueberries and glistening blackberries. I had rotisserie chicken in the fridge, along with avocados, and decided they would go quite nicely together in an arugula salad.
The only thing I was missing was the dressing, and nothing I had seemed quite right. Creamy with lots of fresh herbs sounded perfect, so I tinkered around with buttermilk, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil till the consistency was what I was looking for. A generous dose of finely chopped fresh herbs was the final touch. I used basil, chives, thyme and rosemary, but you could just as easily stick with one herb of your preference.
We love a little crunch in our salads, so I added some candied walnuts; a super simple recipe that takes seconds to put together. Just throw some walnuts in a pan, add a drizzle of honey, olive oil and salt. A short stint in the oven transforms ordinary walnuts to golden, sweet bites of deliciousness.
We actually ate this salad twice in a row and loved it both times. The first time was last night; I had thrown it together for dinner with my stash of lovely berries. It was so fresh and delicious, we decided it was definitely blog-worthy and would be perfect for summer meals. I made it again for lunch today and we captured a few images for you, before gobbling it up.
Bon Appetit!
Chicken and Fresh Berry Salad
A delightful summer salad. Berries can be switched, depending on what’s available and in season. The dressing is lemony & creamy (without mayo) and loaded with fresh herbs. An easy recipe for candied walnuts is included.
Author: Chris Scheuer
Prep Time:
3 hrs 16 mins
Cook Time:
3 hrs 16 mins
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
-
¼
cup
buttermilk -
¼
cup
Feta cheese -
1
small clove garlic -
¼
cup
Greek yogurt -
1
teaspoon
Dijon mustard -
2
teaspoons
fresh lemon juice -
1
teaspoon
lemon zest
from 1 small lemon -
¼
cup
olive oil -
1
tablespoon
finely chopped fresh basil -
1
teaspoon
finely chopped fresh chives -
1
teaspoon
finely chopped fresh thyme -
1
teaspoon
fresh rosemary -
salt
to taste -
freshly ground black pepper
to taste - For the candied walnuts:
-
½
cup
walnut pieces -
½
teaspoon
extra virgin olive oil -
1
teaspoon
honey - a pinch of kosher salt
- For the salad:
-
6
cups
baby arugula -
1 ½
cups
of each fresh berries
feel free to use whatever types are freshest and available. I used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries -
1
large avocado
peeled, cored and diced -
½
cup
sliced shallot or red onion -
3
cups
shredded rotisserie chicken breast
Instructions
-
Combine buttermilk, Feta and garlic in a blender container. Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a medium size bowl.
-
Whisk in Greek yogurt until smooth. Add mustard, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir to incorporate.
-
Drizzle in olive oil in a steady but very slow stream. Don’t try to drizzle the oil in too fast or dressing will come out very thin. As you slowly add the oil, the dressing is emulsified, which means the oil and the buttermilk/yogurt mixture become one.
-
Add fresh herbs and stir to combine. Take a taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper as needed.
-
For the walnuts, preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine walnuts, olive oil, honey and a pinch of salt in a small oven-safe pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden, stirring every 2-3 minutes. I recommend using a timer. Watch carefully as they can go from golden to burnt in a heartbeat. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to keep nuts from sticking to pan.
-
For the salad, place a handful of arugula in the bottom of four shallow bowls. Arrange berries, avocado, chicken, shallot or red onion and more arugula in sections. Add a scoop of candied walnuts in the center of each salad. Drizzle each salad with dressing or pass dressing at the table.
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