Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad

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A delicious and healthy summery salad with grilled chicken and grilled peaches on a bed of arugula salad and fresh herbs, with a honey-Dijon dressing. Naturally gluten free and paleo.

This recipe has been a huge success in our house because it's:

• fresh and summery – I love the addition of fresh herbs like basil and mint in this salad!
• fruity – have you ever tried grilled peaches? They are SO good and sweet!
• easy to make – besides grilling the chicken + the peaches, and mixing a few ingredients together, there's not much to do.
• only takes 30 minutes from start to finish – because we don't have time to spend hours cooking, right?
• good for you – this salad is super nutritious and light but still filling + satisfying! It's naturally gluten free, paleo and Whole30 compliant too.

How to make this grilled chicken and peach salad – Step by step

Start by pre-heating your grill or grill pan. Then, rub four chicken breast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, making sure all sides are covered thoroughly (step 1).

Grill the chicken, about 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through: it should be no longer pink inside, but not dry (step 2)

When cooked, set aside on a cutting board. Let cool for a few minutes then cut into slices.

I like to use a thong in one hand to hold the chicken, while I cut with a sharp knife with my other hand (step 3).

In the same grill pan (or on the grill), cook the peach slices, no more than one to two minutes on each side. They should be soft and charred, but not mushy (step 4). 

Make the dressing by combining the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and olive oil in a little jar with a lid, and shake until it's thick and combined.

In a salad bowl, mix together the arugula, fresh herbs, red onion and almonds. Top with chicken and peach. Drizzle with dressing, toss together and serve.

I don't have a grill, can I still make this recipe?

You sure can! I live in an apartment and don't have a grill or barbecue either. You can use a grill pan instead!

A grill pan will still give you these beautiful characteristic grill marks and most importantly, will make your meat, veggies and fruits taste amazing.

My grill pan - the one pictured - is a cast iron enamel coated grill pan that you can find here.

As a last resort, you could still use a normal skillet. It will work but won't be as tasty.

A few tips to make this grilled chicken and peach salad: 

• To have beautiful grill marks on your chicken and peaches, do not move them around when they're cooking! Pick a spot on your grill or grill pan and boom, that's it, don't move them before you're ready to flip them on the other side.
• Choose peaches that are ripe but still firm, otherwise they'll be too mushy and will decompose when added to your salad.
• This salad is best eaten extra fresh, but you can prep this salad a few hours ahead: prep + store separately the chicken, the peaches, the salad mixture (arugula, fresh herbs, onion, almonds) and the dressing. Plate and assemble when you're ready to eat. If you do prep this salad ahead, make sure to use firm peaches because they will continue to soften once cooked and become too mushy.

Ingredients substitutions and variations:

• Nectarines are also perfect for this salad.
• You can use walnuts instead of almonds.
• You can also use half baby spinach and half arugula instead of all arugula.
• Feel free to add feta cheese too!

If you tried this grilled chicken and peach salad, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

5 from 9 votes

Print

Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad

A delicious and healthy summery salad with grilled chicken and grilled peaches on a bed of arugula and fresh herbs, with a honey-Dijon dressing. Naturally gluten free and paleo.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword #grilledchickensalad, #peachsalad, #summersalad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 449 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 skinless-boneless chicken breasts about 1lb. total
• 3 peaches sliced in wedges
• 4 cups baby arugula packed
• ½ red onion thinly sliced
• ½ cup basil chopped
• ½ cup mint chopped
• ½ cup parsley chopped
• ½ cup toasted almonds chopped
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Honey-Dijon dressing:

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon honey omit for Whole30
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Or your grill if you have one.

2. Add chicken breasts to a cutting board, drizzle with olive oil and season well with flaky sea salt and pepper, making sure all sides are coated well.

3. Once pan or grill is hot, add chicken breasts, cooking 7-8 minutes per side without moving them, or until cooked through and tender. Set aside to cool, then slice into ½ inch pieces.

4. Then, to the same grill pan (or grill if using), add peach slices, cooking 1-2 minutes each side or until charred and softened, but not mushy. Set aside to cool.

5. To make dressing: add all ingredients to a jar and shake well until thick & combined.

6. In a large serving bowl, add arugula, herbs, almond, a pinch of flaky sea salt and ground pepper. 

7. Add chicken and peach slices. Add a drizzle of dressing and toss well to coat. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

TIPS: 

• To have beautiful grill marks on your chicken and peaches, do not move them around when they're cooking! Pick a spot on your grill or grill pan and boom, that's it, don't move them before you're ready to flip them on the other side.
• Choose peaches that are ripe but still firm, otherwise they'll be too mushy and will decompose when added to your salad.
• This salad is best eaten extra fresh, but you can prep this salad a few hours ahead: prep + store separately the chicken, the peaches, the salad mixture (arugula, fresh herbs, onion, almonds) and the dressing. Plate and assemble when you're ready to eat. If you do prep this salad ahead, make sure to use firm peaches because they will continue to soften once cooked and become too mushy.  

SUBSTITUTIONS/VARIATIONS: 

• Nectarines are also perfect for this salad.
• You can use walnuts instead of almonds.
• You can also use half baby spinach and half arugula instead of all arugula.
• Feel free to add feta cheese too!

 

Nutrition Facts

Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 /4th)

Calories 449 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 72mg24%

Sodium 158mg7%

Potassium 934mg27%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 1905IU38%

Vitamin C 25.6mg31%

Calcium 124mg12%

Iron 2.6mg14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More peach recipes:

• Grilled Chicken with Peach Mango Salsa
• Vegan + Paleo Peach Blueberry Cobbler
• Healthy Peach BBQ Pulled Chicken
• Healthier Peach Crisp Bars
• Paleo Peach Blueberry Crisp