Roasted cherries, juicy spice-rubbed chicken, and a fresh and flavorful basil lemon dressing make for a dream summer salad in this showstopper cherry chicken salad!
Meet the prettiest salad to ever grace your table during these last precious weeks of summer!
I’m still in full-on cherry mode over here and this salad is a result of me having a fridge full of the little gems and obviously they need a good home! Enter, this showstopper of a salad.
This salad is really nothing fancy, just all the best parts of summer. We’ve got juicy honey-roasted cherries, spice-rubbed chicken, a little mozzarella action, and a fresh basil dressing that ties everything together.
Definitely one of those salads you’ll end up making a meal out of! I’ve been pairing big bowls of this salad alongside these homemade breadsticks lately and lemme tell you, summer dinners don’t get much better than that.
This Salad features…
- Juicy roasted sweet cherries
- Tender roasted chicken breasts rubbed in a smoky seasoning mix
- A mix of fresh greens, soft mozzarella pearls, and toasted almonds
- An herby fresh basil lemon dressing
Making the Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Basil
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Cherries
- Spices
- Chicken breasts
- Kale
- Spring greens
- Almonds
- Mozzarella
Choosing Your Chicken
I recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this salad. This cut of chicken is great for roasting and cooks up super juicy alongside the cherries.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken thighs will work great instead, however, you may need to adjust the cook time slightly as thighs will cook faster. Always use a kitchen thermometer to test the internal temperature of meat.
Tips for Perfect Salad
- Blend dressing – use a blender or a food processor to blend the dressing perfectly smooth.
- Roast chicken and cherries together – this eliminates having to dirty another pan. Make sure you remove the cherries from the sheet pan 10-15 minutes after roasting as they will be done before the chicken is.
- Massage kale – this helps tenderize and break down the fresh kale. Drizzle a little bit of the dressing over kale and use your fingers to massage kale until it becomes tender.
- Assemble salad just before serving – for best results, do not assemble salad until just before serving. This will keep all the ingredients fresh.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.
- Try another fruit – sliced peaches, nectarines, plums, or grapes work great in place of the cherries.
- Swap out cheeses – try using burrata, feta, or goat cheese in place of the mozzarella.
- Use different greens – try using a mix of arugula, spinach, romaine, etc.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Roast the cherries and chicken – allow to cool and store both in refrigerator up to 4 days before assembling salad.
- Make the dressing – store dressing in refrigerator up to 6 days.
- Assembly – when ready to assemble, massage the kale and combine with spring greens. Top greens with cherries, chicken, mozzarella, and almonds. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine.
A big forkful of this giant salad is like taking a big bite out of the best parts of summer! The sweet cherries pair so nicely with the juicy chicken strips and a huge douse of that herby basil dressing.
Lemme tell ya, no one will be complaining about this masterpiece on the table.
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 with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More summery salads you’ve got to try next!
Roasted Cherry Chicken Salad with Basil Lemon Dressing
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Basil Lemon Dressing
- 1/2 cup firmly-packed basil leaves
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Cherry Chicken Salad
- 2 cups pitted and halved fresh sweet cherries
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked or regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (2-3 medium breasts)
- 3 cups firmly-packed kale leaves
- 3 cups firmly-packed spring greens mix
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
Instructions
Lemon Basil Dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Roasted Cherry Chicken Salad
- Lightly grease a large sheet pan and preheat oven to 400F. Toss cherries, honey, and lemon juice on one half of sheet pan and arrange in a single layer.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, basil, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Rub spice mixture evenly all over chicken breasts and arrange chicken breasts on other half of sheet pan with cherries.
- Roast chicken and cherries at 400F 10-15 minutes until cherries are soft and juicy. Use a spatula to scrape cherries off sheet pan and transfer to a bowl. Continue baking chicken an additional 5-10 minutes until chicken registers 165F.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool several minutes. Once slightly cooled, thinly slice chicken breast.
- Place kale in a large bowl and toss in 1 tablespoon lemon basil dressing. Massage kale well with your fingers until tender.
- Arrange kale and spring greens on a serving platter. Arrange chicken slices, roasted cherries, toasted almonds, and mozzarella on top. Drizzle salad with dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply