Name: Grilled Chicken Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 3 Tbsp. lemon juice; 1 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. Dijon mustard; 1 tsp. honey; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1/2 tsp. thyme; 1/4 tsp. garlic powder; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped; 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 avocado, peeled and sliced; 1 red onion, sliced

Jump to Recipe

The contrast of the warm chicken and cold vegetables makes this Grilled Chicken Salad a summer-time-one-dish-meal favorite.

The thing that I love most about this salad is that all of the veggies – with the exception of the avocado – can be prepped ahead of time making assembly a snap.

Double the recipe and you have a festive summer salad for a crowd.

Grilled chicken breasts, sliced and on top of platter full of veggies, with a small bowl of dressing alongside.

Ingredients For Grilled Chicken Salad

Chicken – I love chicken thighs, but for this recipe chicken breasts make a beautiful presentation. And I have a couple of tips that will result in juicy chicken breasts.

Lettuce – because we will be serving the chicken warm over the salad greens, I like to use romaine for its sturdiness. And its crisp, crunchy texture compliments the warm, grilled chicken perfectly.

Tomatoes – grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half are perfect for this salad. Their sweet, juicy flavor is a great counterpoint to the chicken.

Onions – the red onion variety is my choice for this recipe. Not only do these onions add a gorgeous pop of color to the salad, their crunchy and spicy characteristics create another layer of texture and flavor.

Avocado – speaking of textures, this ingredient brings a smooth, creamy quality with a buttery flavor to the party.

Vinaigrette – every salad needs to be dressed or its just a lot of veggies hanging out together – in my humble opinion. An added bonus, the vinaigrette can double as a marinade for the chicken.

Preparing The Grill

Fill a chimney starter with charcoal and light according the manufacture’s instructions. (Please don’t use starter fluid. This will leave a nasty chemical taste on your food.) You’ll know the coals are ready when the edges turn grey and ashy.

Pour the charcoal evenly over charcoal grate and put the cooking grate in place. Clean and oil the cooking grate.

If you’re using a gas grill, set the heat to medium-high heat.

Preheat the grill for 5 minutes and then oil and clean the cooking grates.

How To Make Grilled Chicken Salad

As I mentioned above, prepping the veggies ahead of time and storing them in the refrigerator until assembly makes getting this salad on the table a breeze. The only vegetable that you shouldn’t prep before hand is the avocado as many varieties tend to oxidize, turning brown once they’re cut.

I did say that I had a couple of tricks to ensure that the chicken breasts stay juicy and flavorful. If you’d like, you can brine the chicken the night before following these instructions. Or as indicated in the recipe, use a portion of the vinaigrette as a marinade.

Much like the Grilled Chicken Kebobs, marinating the chicken breasts only takes 30 minutes. So if you don’t have 4 – 8 hours to brine, this is the perfect option. Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag, drizzle 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette over, massage to distribute the marinade, and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

The last tip that I have for you for juicy, tender chicken breasts is use an instant read thermometer. The temperature should read 155˚F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

And the bonus tip. Make sure that you allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before you slice it. This will allow the juices to redistribute through the breast.

For that quintessential grill-marked chicken breast, start by grilling the chicken breast top side down first. Grill for 5 – 6 minutes without moving the meat on the grate. It should release easily. After you have turned the chicken breasts, grill another 5 minutes and check the internal temperature.

The last time I made this recipe, one of the chicken breasts was done after 10 minutes total cooking time while the other took 15 minutes total. I like to check every 5 minutes to ensure that I don’t overcook them.

While the chicken is cooking, dress the romaine with 3 – 4 tablespoons of vinaigrette and transfer to a large serving platter. Arrange the tomatoes, onions, and avocados around the lettuce and drizzle each of the piles of veggies with some more vinaigrette.

Once the chicken is cooked through and has rested for 5 minutes, slice it thinly and arrange over the top of the lettuce. I serve with any additional vinaigrette for my friends that like their salads dressed on the heavy side. Grab a chilled bottle of rosé and a nice crunchy baguette and head out to the deck, patio, or front porch.