Raspberry Chicken Mixed Green Salad

I love the flavors of this refreshing summer salad that’s ideal for either a brunch or light dinner! The tangy Lemon Balsamic Salad Dressing compliments the Raspberry Chicken Salad perfectly! Plus it’s so quick and easy to make using store-bought rotisserie chicken, or leftover cooked chicken from your fridge or freezer.

We have been eating a lot more salads the last couple of weeks (like one or two a day) and these aren’t little side salads. I’m talking full size dinner salads. So as not to get burned out, I’m changing up flavors frequently. This salad really hits the spot! Plus it’s low carb and gluten free.

I usually add another 1/2 cup or so of chopped Romaine lettuce to the spring mix to add a little more bulk for our salads just to make sure we get a tummy full. It has sure helped us to cut way down on night time unhealthy snacking.

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Raspberry Chicken Mixed Green Salad

Printable recipes (2 pages)

Prep 10 minutes, Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups mixed salad greens, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 lb. rotisserie or other cooked chicken breast, sliced
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (Feta or Blue Cheese are suitable substitutes)
• Salad dressing recipe below (or use dressing of choice)

Lemon Balsamic Salad Dressing Ingredients

• ½ cup lemon-flavored olive oil
• ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. If using the salad dressing recipe, prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a mason jar. Cover and shake until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Divide mixed salad greens among four chilled individual serving plates. Top with sliced chicken breast, fresh raspberries, and goat cheese.
3. Drizzle each plate with salad dressing of choice and serve immediately.

Lemon-Infused Olive Oil

This recipe doesn’t really equal the quality of commercial lemon-infused olive oil, but if you don’t have any at home, this will work just fine. It is super simple to make, but it’s imperative to follow the warming directions!

To make your own lemon-infused olive oil, very carefully peel a freshly cleaned lemon with a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife into long pieces of lemon zest. Be careful not to peel off any of the white pith. If some is attached to the inside of the lemon zest strips, carefully scrape it off. The white pith is bitter and terrible tasting and will ruin you infused oil.

Next, measure 1 cup of olive oil into a small pan and add the lemon zest. Turn the burner on medium-low heat. You want to get the oil warm and then keep it warm for 10 to 15 minutes, but you don’t want it warm enough to form any bubbles whatsoever!

Pull the pan off the burner and let the oil steep with the lemon zest until it’s cooled to room temperature. Once cooled, strain the oil to remove the lemon zest, or carefully lift the lemon zest out with a fork, and then discard the lemon zest.

Pour the infused oil into a pretty little carafe, or even a mason jar like I do. The recipe above calls for only 1/2 cup of lemon-infused olive oil, the rest can be stored for a week or two, but no longer. I use the remaining infused oil to brush on chicken or fish before roasting. Yummy!