Balsamic Glazed Chicken Salad

Last summer, I went on a giant balsamic vinegar bender.

It was GREAT. We made all kinds of salads featuring balsamic glazed chicken breasts, easy balsamic vinaigrettes, etc. Lots of different fruit and veggies, loads of colour, big flavor... good times!

Of course, I’m a master at procrastination, so I’ve been sitting on al those easy chicken recipes for the better part of a year now.

Whoops.

Anyway, this easy balsamic chicken salad recipe is one of the first we ever made, and it’s a favourite to this day.

We’d picked up some Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar at a specialty shop when we were still living in Minneapolis, but had no real ideas on how to use it.

Eventually, we decided to go pretty basic - and literal - with it, designing a salad that had dried cranberries and pears in it. It was great, but missing something - protein.

So, we revisited that recipe, adding chicken breasts cooked in a homemade balsamic glaze.

That sticky glaze was the perfect complement to the crisp and juicy pears! This salad is not only great as a quick weeknight dinner, but it’s also a good recipe for entertaining.

Simple, elegant, and super easy to make.

It’s also very inclusive. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and grain free, for starters. If you use unsweetened dried cranberries (or cranberries sweetened with apple juice), it’s also Paleo and AIP compliant.

Gotta love a salad that the whole family can eat - and will love!

Anyway, let’s go over what you’ll need to make this cranberry pear salad with balsamic glazed chicken...

Ingredients

This recipe uses some pretty simple ingredients - for the most part - but you should be able to find almost everything you need in any larger grocery store.

I have some ingredient notes for you, though:

Boneless Chicken Breasts

I use boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. That said, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs, if you prefer.

I’ll usually use 1 big or 2 small thighs per salad.

Cranberry Pear Balsamic Vinegar

This is a speciality ingredient that is SUPER fun, but may be a bit difficult to find.

I found it at a local olive oil shop - The Olive Oil Dispensary, and it looks like a lot of olive oil shops carry it.

You can also usually find it on Amazon: Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar.

Fresh Produce

You can really use whatever salad greens you like: iceberg lettuce, spring mix, romaine lettuce, maybe a bit of arugula or radicchio.

Sometimes we’ll add a bit of shredded cabbage for a little bit of crunch - red cabbage/purple cabbage, green cabbage, napa cabbage, it’s all good.

As for the rest of the fruit and veggies you’ll need, you’re looking at:

Asparagus
Celery
English Cucumber
Ripe Pears
Red Onions.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Unsweetened Dried Cranberries
Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey
Fresh Garlic Cloves
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

... I just don’t have anything else to say, as far as these last few ingredients go. Pretty straightforward!

How to Make Cranberry Pear Chicken Salad

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through with detailed instructions.

Cranberry Pear Balsamic Vinaigrette

Measure all of the vinaigrette ingredients into a blender or the cup of an immersion blender, blitz until smooth.

Season with salt, to taste, then cover and chill until ready to serve.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Trim chicken breasts if necessary, use a sharp knife to cut into ½” slices - for best results, aim for even thickness across all slices.

Toss chicken slices with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.

Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Place chicken pieces in the pan, cook - stirring frequently - until browned all over.

Whisk together the vinegar, water, and honey, pour over top of the chicken breast pieces.

Cook until chicken is cooked through, and covered with a thick glaze.

Remove pan from the heat, allow to cool slightly as you prepare the salads.

Salad Base and Assembly

Divide your salad ingredients between 4 large serving bowls or plates, arranging as desired.

Divide the glazed chicken pieces over the salads, serve with the cranberry pear balsamic vinaigrette.

Leftovers or Meal Prep

If serving fewer than 4 salads when you make it, I like to assemble all 4 salad bases - without the chicken - and wrap each with plastic wrap.

Then - after cooling to room temperature - I store the leftover chicken separately, to be heated just before serving. It will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

The balsamic vinaigrette should also be stored separately in the fridge, I usually keep it in a small mason jar.

More Main Dish Salad Recipes

Looking for more healthy salad recipes that are substantial enough to serve as a meal? Look no further!

Asian Chicken Salad with Lychee Vinaigrette
Balsamic Chicken & Peach Salad
Balsamic Chicken Salad with Grapes & Grape Vinaigrette
Balsamic Salad with Chicken & Berries
Big Mac Salad
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Cobb Salad
Curried Chicken Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Grilled Halloumi & Peach Salad
Harvest Chicken Salad
Hazelnut Crusted Chicken Salad
Honey Calamansi Mango Shrimp Salad
Honey Ginger Shrimp Salad
Italian Sub Salad
Keto Taco Salad
Mandarin Glazed Chicken Christmas Salad
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Salad Meal Prep
Seafood Cobb Salad
Seared Tuna Salad
Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
Shawarma Chicken Salad
Steak Salad with Creamy Wasabi Dressing
Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Thai Pesto Salmon Salad