Tender sun-dried tomatoes and a flavorful homemade Italian vinaigrette add so many wonderful flavors and textures to this sun-dried tomato spinach chicken salad!
Simple, yet loaded salads are the name of the game around here! We’ve got quite the banger spinach salad on deck for you today.
It’s got plenty of healthy spinach making up the base with all the salad add-in works plus a purely addictive herby Italian vinaigrette dressing it to perfection. It’s so simple, but I promise it will quickly become your go-to salad!
And it’s ready in 30 minutes. No excuses not to swan dive into this beauty.
You really are about to be the envy of everyone you know when you pull out this salad for lunch. It’s just too gorgeous and you know it tastes even better than it looks.
This Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Chicken Salad features…
- A base of fresh baby spinach
- Tender sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, chicken, and red onion
- A tangy + sweet Italian dressing and plenty of fresh grated Parmesan on top
Making the Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Chicken Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Baby spinach
- Chicken
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Artichoke hearts
- Red onion
- Parmesan cheese
- White wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Olive oil
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Garlic
Can I Use Leftover Cooked Chicken?
Yes and please, please do! It makes this salad so easy to throw together and helps you clean out your fridge of any leftovers waiting to be used.
You can use any cut of cooked chicken you wish here. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it, totally your call!
Tips for Perfect Spinach Salad
- Slowly add olive oil to dressing – for best results, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the other dressing ingredients while whisking constantly to effectively emulsify the dressing.
- Prep ingredients ahead of time – keep reading below for all the time savers!
- Use oil-packed tomatoes – we think the texture of oil-packed tomatoes is incredible in the salad.
- Rinse red onion – give the red onion a quick rinse in cold water after slicing to remove a bit of the harsh flavor.
- Dress salad just before serving – this will keep all the ingredients crisp and fresh.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different spin on this salad!
- Change up the veggies – try fresh cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot, sweet pepper, or cucumber.
- Try a different greens base – a spring mix, kale, or lettuce would be a great stand-in for the spinach.
- Make it meatless – you can easily leave out the chicken for a vegetarian-friendly salad.
- Try a different cheese – fresh mozzarella pearls, grated asiago, feta, or goat cheese would all be incredible!
Make Ahead Instructions
This salad is a dream for meal prepping! Follow the time-saver hacks below.
- Make the dressing – the salad dressing may be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in fridge.
- Cut the salad ingredients – the artichokes, tomatoes, chicken, and red onion may be cut and stored in fridge up to 3 days.
- Assemble the salad – arrange the spinach and other salad ingredients in meal prep containers and store dressing in a smaller container alongside it up to 3 days. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!
This salad is seriously so simple to throw together, but the flavors really do shine! The sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes is just perfect alongside the tender artichokes, sharp Parmesan, and herby Italian vinaigrette.
Pair it alongside your favorite pasta or enjoy it all on its own, it’s that hearty enough!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this salad made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More loaded salads you’ve gotta try next!
Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Chicken Salad
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Ingredients
Italian Dressing
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
- 3/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1-in pieces
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, cut into 1-in pieces
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Italian Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, oregano, parsley, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and store in fridge until ready to use.
Salad
- Toss spinach, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, red onion, and Parmesan in a large serving bowl. Drizzle dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Serve salad immediately and enjoy!
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