The Best Summer Salad Recipe

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I always serve this summer chicken salad to my family, and they all agree it is one of the most awesome salad bar ideas!

How much fun is a summer salad bar? I love giving my family salad bar ideas, and this mason jar/charcuterie salad idea was a huge hit! I serve salads frequently, especially in the summer, which means I make them. Today, I am sharing the best summer salad recipe.

The Best Summer Salad Recipe
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Summer Salad Bar Ideas

The Best Summer Salad

This salad is crunchy, refreshing, and delicious. Normally, I serve the salad tossed. With six people enjoying this salad, I decided allowing everyone to make their own would be great. That allows everyone to make the salad exactly how they like it!

The Best Summer Salad Recipe

I decided to serve all of the salad bar items in mason jars. I have many of them, and I love how they look on this large cutting board.

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Best Summer Recipe

What’s in This Summer Salad Recipe?

Baked Chicken

Romaine lettuce

Green onions

Dried cranberries

Honey crisp apples

Mandarin oranges

Toasted almonds

Avocado

Goat cheese

Salad dressing

Summer Salad Ingredients

Having all the salad ingredients in different-sized mason jars makes the presentation fun. This allows everyone to choose their ingredients for a customer salad.

Salad Ingredients

Chopped in 3/4″ slices, lettuce is perfect for a salad bar. I have done it this way for years!

Preparing the Romaine Lettuce

These sugared almonds are undoubtedly one reason this is the best summer salad recipe ever.

How to Sugar Almonds

They are cooked on the stovetop with two tablespoons of sugar. That’s it! The trick is to keep stirring until golden brown and immediately place them on foil to cool. This is one of those items where you must give them your full attention. Unfortunately, I have burned these a gazillion times because I briefly walked away from the almonds and returned when it was too late.

How to Toast Almonds with Sugar

You can grill, bake, or boil the chicken for the salad. I placed it in a baking dish, sprinkled it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, and baked it at 350 degrees for twenty-five minutes. This is so good!

How to Bake Chicken
Yield: 6 servings

The Best Summer Salad

The Best Summer Salad Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Sugared Almonds
  • 3/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 TBL. sugar
  • Chicken breasts:
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 2 tsp poultry. seasoning, 1 /2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 head green leaf lettuce
  • 2 avocados, cut into pieces
  • 2 cans mandarin oranges (11 oz.)
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 honey crisp or pink lady apple, diced
  • 5 green onions
  • Dressing:
  • 2 TBL sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. To make the slivered almonds, place almonds and sugar in a stovetop pan. Cook at medium temperature for approximately four minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon the entire time. As soon as the almonds are golden brown, remove from heat and place on aluminum foil to cool.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish, sprinkled it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning and bake at 350 for twenty-five minutes. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Mix all ingredients for salad dressing in a container and shake.
  4. Mix all salad ingredients (or place in containers as a salad bar). Add sugared almonds and sprinkle with dressing.

Enjoy this amazing salad. I know you will be making it all summer long.

The Best Summer Salad Ingredients

Fabulous Spring Kitchen Decor!

SHOP HERE

This week, some of my blogging friends and I are sharing our favorite summer recipe ideas. Click on the links below the images to see their full posts.

Grilled Zucchini with Parmesan on the BBQ at The Happy Housie

The Best Summer Salad at My 100 Year Old Home

Summer Corn, Blueberry and Avocado Salad at Cassie Bustamante

Lobster Rolls at Home at Finding Silver Pennies

Easy Skillet Nachos at She Gave it a Go

Rhubarb Cloud Dessert at A Pretty Life

Summer Apple Rhubarb Galette at Life is Better at Home

Summer Pavlova at Life is a Party

Lemon Rosewater Cookies at This is Simplicite

Cherry Rhubarb Crisp in Mini Skillets at Satori Design for Living

Cherry Pie Ice Cream at Jenna Kate at Home

Berry Crisp on the Grill at Clean & Scentsible

Sheet Pan Lemon Bars at My Sweet Savannah

Pin the image below to your Recipe or Salad boards on Pinterest (just click the Pin button in the top left corner). You can also follow along with me on Pinterest!

The Best Summer Salad Recipe

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22 Comments

  1. i LOVE the way you set this up so creatively! As someone who doesn’t eat meat, I always appreciate it when I have the option to not include it. This looks delicious! Well done!

  2. This sounds delicious and I love your set up! Pretty much everyone in our household likes different toppings so this is perfect!

  3. I love summer salads and since I had almost all the ingredients and was already planning a grocery trip – this was a great choice for dinner last night. My 14-year old daughter loved it and said it was one of her favorite salads ever. I’m sure we’ll be making it again soon. Thanks for the delicious recipe.

  4. I made this salad and it is delicious. It is easy to substitute ingredients too, I had pistachios instead of almonds! I will be making this salad all summer. Thank you!!

  5. Looks fantastic, will be making this evening! Question: In your text you say to toast almonds with 2 tsps. of sugar,yet,in the recipe it says 3,which is correct? Thanks so much.

  6. looks good, i use yempyatuons dishes like you used mason jars, going to try mason jar to change it up, lol.
    what time is dinner, I’ll b right over, 😄

  7. auto correct changed, sorry, should read temptations by tara….noy even sure if the other word is a word!

  8. LOVE the salad bar idea, and the mason jars are a darling touch – so summery and casual. When we finally get our backyard cleaned up enough to have dinners out there, I’m definitely doing this! Thanks as always for the fabulous inspiration!

  9. Leslie, it looks wonderful, and I also love the Mason jar idea!

    I’m pretty sure you’ve mentioned having the California Sizzles cookbook. I make a similar salad to yours and often use the Dijon Mustard Marinade in the book for the chicken then grill it for the salad. Really good!👍🏻

  10. This all looks so delish!! I’m going to make a few of these soon such a great combination of foods mason jars are getting to be my favorite item for storing so many things!!!

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