Blueberry Corn Chicken Salad
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Published Mar 28, 2024
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This blueberry corn chicken salad is the perfect summertime salad! It combines greens, grilled chicken, corn, roasted pecans and fresh blueberries all tossed in a delicious maple balsamic dressing.
Comprised of seasonal fruits and veggies, healthy fats, protein and a light maple vinaigrette, this colorful blueberry corn chicken salad is not only beautiful on the table, but it’s absolutely delicious and loaded with tons of nutrients.
Why I Love This Salad
- Loaded with flavor: The combination of ingredients creates a symphony of flavors that are both balanced and exciting.
- Nutrition packed: With a mix of lean protein, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich fruits, this salad is a nutritional powerhouse.
- Versatility: Serve it as a standalone meal or as a colorful side dish at your next barbecue or summer gathering.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prep components like the roasted pecans and dressing in advance for a quick assembly when you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients Needed
Alright, so now we know why this blueberry corn chicken salad is super nourishing. Here’s what you’ll need:
- spring mix or baby greens – the base of this salad. Feel free to use your favorite variety of greens here.
- grilled chicken – for a protein boost I added chopped grilled chicken, but feel free to use shredded chicken instead.
- corn – you can use fresh, frozen that’s been thawed or leftover grilled corn cut off the cob.
- red onion – some diced onion for some added crunch.
- avocado oil – a great oil for high heat cooking and baking! Feel free to use olive oil instead.
- blueberries – for a natural source of antioxidants. I wouldn’t recommend using frozen, thawed blueberries. Fresh is best!
- pecans – we’re roasting the pecans with some maple syrup and sea salt for a salty sweet combo that pairs perfectly with the rest of the salad ingredients.
- maple balsamic dressing – a super simple dressing consisting of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
How to Make Blueberry Corn Chicken Salad
Step 1: Roast pecans with maple syrup and salt at 350°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and salt for the dressing.
Step 3: Cook onions in avocado oil until brown. Add corn here if it’s raw or thawed.
Step 4: On plates, layer greens, chicken, corn, onions, blueberries, and pecans. Serve dressing on the side or drizzle on top of the salad before serving. Enjoy!
Notes & Substitutions
Pecans – Not a fan of pecans? Swap in a different nut!
Red onion – Not a fan of red onion feel free to use yellow onion instead.
Mix-ins – Feel free to get creative in the kitchen and add your own toppings to the salad. Avocado, goat cheese, or pepitas would be great additions!
Dressing – I love the maple balsamic dressing I created for this salad but any dressing would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: poppyseed dressing, cilantro lime dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep the salad components separate and assemble just before serving to maintain freshness. Store the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge and the other ingredients separately in airtight containers. Enjoy within 3-5 days.
More Meal-Sized Salads
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Blackened Chicken Cobb Salad
- Pistachio Salmon Salad
- Cheeseburger Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Blackened Tempeh Salad
Be sure to check out the full collection of salad recipes here on EBF!
Blueberry Corn Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 5oz container of spring mix or baby greens
- 1.5 lbs grilled chicken, chopped
- 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen that’s been thawed or leftover grilled corn cut off the cob
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup raw pecans
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
Maple Balsamic Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add pecans to the sheet and toss with maple syrup and sea salt. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, toss and allow to cool completely. This step can be done a day in advance.
- Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan. Add diced onions and cook until translucent and starting to brown, about 7-8 minutes. If you’re using raw or thawed corn, you can add it to the sauté pan with the onion for extra flavor. If you’re using leftover grilled corn, there’s no need to add it.
- Grab 3-4 plates and load on salad ingredients starting with a base of greens, shredded chicken, corn, onion, blueberries and maple roasted pecans. Serve with maple balsamic dressing, allowing everyone to add as much or as a little as they'd like. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for later.
Video
Notes
- Pecans – Not a fan of pecans? Swap in a different nut!
- Red onion – Not a fan of red onion feel free to use yellow onion instead.
- Mix-ins – Feel free to get creative in the kitchen and add your own toppings to the salad. Avocado, goat cheese, or pepitas would be great additions!
- Dressing – I love the maple balsamic dressing I created for this salad but any dressing would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: poppyseed dressing, cilantro lime dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It was so nice to read the actual benefits of the food in the recipe! I know I need to eat more antioxidants, but really didn’t truly know what they did for me. Thanks for the info and the delicious food paired with it!
Of course! So glad the extra nutrition info within this post was helpful. Have a great weekend, Juliette.
Quick question about your calorie counts…is the 800 calories for the entire recipe or for one serving?
It’s about 600 calories per serving if you make four salads. Of course, it will really depend on how much of each topping is added and how much dressing is used. 🙂
So not only does that salad look unreal, but I love how you gave some great information too!! Super informational 🙂
So glad you enjoyed all the nutrition info, Kathleen. I hope you get a chance to try the salad.
This sounds like the most perfect Summer salad. I love the addition of corn (though I feel like that is sort of a requirement since I am from Iowa)!
Yes! I’m sure as a mid-western, a summer salad without corn just doesn’t feel right! 🙂
When I clicked on this post, I immediately said OUT LOUD “OMG THIS LOOKS SO FREAKIN GOOD” 🙂 Can’t wait to make!
Love this comment so much! You’ll have to let me know what you think if you end up making it this summer. 🙂
This salad looked, tasted and left me…feeling AMAZING!!
Thank you for the delicious and simple “turn-to-powerfood” recipe, being appetite eludes me, this is a treasured find to keep!
We made this for supper last night and it was delicious! We used your ACV chicken marinade and cooked the chicken in the slow cooker to really moisten and tenderize it before shredding. We also swapped the blueberries for strawberries since I couldn’t find any fresh blueberries at the store. The flavor combo was still amazing! Definitely a make again recipe that’s filling, nutritional and perfect for hot summer days 🙂
Never used avocado oil. Can it be substituted?
Totally. Olive oil is a great sub for avocado oil.
Love this one! Easy to make as we frequently have all ingredients on hand during the summer. My kids (2 and 6) won’t eat the greens, but they enjoy all of the other elements, so it’s a great family meal.
This was a really delightful summer salad that even satisfied my husband who isn’t the biggest fan of salads for dinner! This was my first non breakfast/dessert/baked good I have made from EBF and I couldn’t be happier!
That makes me so happy to hear, Amalia. 🙂 So glad this salad was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
I love chicken and make it a lot! Have you tried this with pork tenderloin,shrimp, or steak? Just curious.
Thank you!
I am so happy that you are loving this salad! I have no personally tried it with any of these other proteins, but I am sure they would all be delicious. If you try one of these other proteins, let me know which you choose and how it works out. Enjoy!