Grilled Chicken Salad is fresh, healthy, and packed with char-grilled flavor! Sizzle up this satisfying, summery salad recipe tonight.
Let’s cut to the chase: I made you a Grilled Chicken Salad that’s so good I want to cry. This dish is summer on a platter!
It has been blazing hot + humid here (my favorite) and smokey grilled chicken over cold, crisp salad is exactly what I want to eat when the weather heats up.
It’s fresh, gorgeous, and highlights some of summer’s best ingredients. Plus it’s dressed in my spoon drink-worthy, 4 ingredient (plus S&P!) Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette. Grab your fork!
Pesto slathered chicken is grilled then sliced and placed over mixed greens with charred sweet corn, grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, and diced avocado. Drizzled with that simple, aforementioned Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette – it is HEAVENLY.
I grilled the chicken on a charcoal grill and gosh, there’s just nothing like the smokey flavor a charcoal grill lends an ingredient. That said, you can use either your charcoal or gas grill to make this awesome, entree salad.
Tips for Grilling Chicken Breasts
- Before grilling: Just like sauteing chicken in a skillet on the stovetop, be sure to pound chicken breasts to an even thickness before grilling to ensure even cooking. I place chicken breasts on a cutting board then cover with saran wrap and use a meat mallet to pound them to an even thickness. Prefer chicken thighs instead? Here’s how to grill ’em.
- Keep it nonstick: Chicken has a tendency to stick to grill grates so spray both sides of the chicken breasts with nonstick spray before placing on the grill. Don’t spray one side, place it on the grill, then spray the top, as the nonstick spray can cause flare ups. Keep your fingers, people!
- Preheat: I heat my grill to at least 400 degrees before adding the chicken. Flip when you can see the chicken turning opaque up the sides (check out the photo below to see what I mean.)
- Let it rest: Like any other meat, let the chicken breasts rest off the heat for at least 5 minutes before slicing to ensure all the juices don’t run out.
How to Make This Recipe:
Start by preheating your grill to 400 degrees. For a gas grill that’s medium-high for 8-10 minutes.
While the grill is heating up, place 2 chicken breasts that have been pounded to an even thickness inside a large Ziplock bag with prepared pesto. Again, you can make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well.
Once the grill is hot, spray both sides of the chicken breasts with nonstick spray then place on the hot grates and grill until you can see the chicken turning opaque up the sides. For me, this is the best indicator of when the chicken is ready to be turned.
Flip then cook until the chicken is cooked through, another 3-4 minutes. Keep the lid down between flipping! Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. I prefer the chicken warm vs piping hot so I let it rest a little longer.
Toss 2 sweet corn cobs onto the grill alongside the chicken – no oil needed! – then grill, rotating frequently, until the kernels are slightly charred, and then slice off the cobs. The sweet/smokey flavor combo is incredible. LOVE me some grilled sweet corn in the summertime!
All together now! Arrange fresh lettuce (whatever you love) on a platter or plates then top with the charred sweet corn plus sliced grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and diced avocado. You can use whatever dressing you love but tangy-sweet (but not too sweet) Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette cannot be beat. I hope you love this fresh and filling grilled chicken salad – enjoy!
More Hearty, Healthy Salads
- Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Berry Quinoa Chicken Salad
- Napa Sweet Corn Salad
- Thai Crunch Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing
- Apple Orchard Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette
- Summer Spinach Salad
- Southwestern Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 5 oz lettuce, any kind
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, pounded to an even thickness
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto, see notes
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper
Directions
For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette:
- Add all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid then shake to combine. Can be made ahead of time.
For the Grilled Chicken Salad:
- Preheat grill to 400 degrees (medium-high for a gas grill). Meanwhile, add chicken breasts, pesto, and a big pinch of salt to a Ziplock bag then squish to coat. Allow chicken to marinate while grill is preheating.
- Once grill is hot, spray both sides of each chicken breast with nonstick spray then grill for 3-4 minutes a side or until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board then let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Add sweet corn cobs to the grill at the same time as the chicken then grill, rotating often, until kernels are softened and slightly charred, 8-10 minutes total. Slice kernels off the cob.
- Arrange lettuce on a platter (or on plates/in bowls) then arrange grilled chicken, corn, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado on top. Drizzle with prepared vinaigrette then serve.
Notes
- Click here for my Vegan Pesto recipe.
- Estimated nutritional information includes entire dressing recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This is so good. We omitted the onions, added grilled asparagus and a little grilled sweet peppers. Thank you for all your recipies. I am Celiac and always looking for new ones.
I’m SO glad you loved this recipe, Jackie! Love the grilled sweet pepper and asparagus additions – yum! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Looks beautiful and delicious! I’ve never had it this way! Love this recipe.
I usually was always eager to read your blog. I am disappointed in you. I have been (as well as many others I assume!) checking your blog and waiting on a response from you. Waiting on a response for you to address what’s going on in the world. Perhaps like the George Floyd incident?? You have a platform! You should use it. To speak up for your black and brown followers that support you every bit as any others could.
Sally from Sally’s baking addiction is one of the ONLY ones who I read to use her platform to speak up for her black followers. What a wonderful and thoughtful thing for her to do. Despite(I assume) what others may think of her Sally went and addressed the elephant in the room. Good for her. Bold of her too. In a world where entitled women are labeled as”Karens” it’s sad to see so many(boy are there many)of these women coming out of the woodwork. These women are spewing such hatred and nastiness that it
hurts to watch. They are racists and bigots.
Linda, please join me on Instagram where I have been heavily involved in trying to educate myself and others on anti-racism. Check out the heart highlight for the resources I have shared and saved over the past five weeks. https://www.instagram.com/iowagirleats/
I have not shared on the blog, yet, because I have been in the process of moving and have barely posted in the past two months. I wish you would have contacted me directly with your concerns instead of, as you said, spewing nastiness like this. You and I don’t need to fight – we need to work together to spread awareness and goodness.
Also, Linda, I tried to email you directly, but you used a fake address to leave this comment.
This looks soo good!. A post on grilling with charcoal sounds great.
Love the new look!!!
Love the new look! You made me go out and buy fresh corn from the nearest farmer’s market, can’t wait to try this recipe. Yes please on the grilling guide, too
Another fabulous recipe and YES I would love a how to grill on a charcoal grill post! That is all we’ve used for years, and bless my hubby’s heart- I think he’s always just winged it.
100% yes for a charcoal post! Love the facelift!!
Thank you so much, Michelle! I do too. ?
A big fat YES on the charcoal grilling post!
Noted! Thanks Kari!!
This looks so yummy!!! Definitely going to give this a try xx
Hope you love it, Bry!
Wow, I think I could just eat the picture right off the computer page.
With a lot of allergy and other food issues in my house this fits the bill. Thank you for a great blog.
So glad to hear that, Lea! I hope this recipe is at hit at your house!
Yes! I’m 100% here for a “How to Cook on a Charcoal Grill” post!!
Woo! Ok sounds good – thanks for the feedback, Stephanie!
This looks perfect. Simple, flavorful, and seasonal.
Thank you, Sarah! I hope you get a chance to try it! :)
Sounds delicious, Kristin! And that dressing too-yum!!!
So good – it’s a great chicken marinade too!