Hi there and happy Tuesday! How’s your week going thus far?
Despite the cold weather and snow(!!) we’ve been having here I’ve still been craving salads. Lunch or dinner, it doesn’t matter — all I want is a huge salad that’s flavorful, easy to throw together and totally satisfying. To make the prep easy I like to have a couple quick cooking protein options, healthy fats and a variety of veggies on hand. Some of my favorite protein options include shrimp, edamame, tempeh, tofu, hard boiled eggs and chicken.
I’ve talked about it before, but my favorite chicken is the Whole Foods Health Starts Here thai curry chicken. It’s curry flavored, obviously, but also has a bit of spice and salt to go along with it. It’s really the only chicken I’ve LOVED since introducing meat back into my diet. I like it so much I’ve even made my own version of the Whole Foods seasoning blend so that I can make the chicken at home without having to buy the seasoned skewers from the meat department.
Last summer I made a salad using the thai curry chicken and donut peaches. It’s delicious, but donut peaches aren’t in season right now so I decided to come up with another combo.
This version has fresh pineapple (to ease the spice of the chicken), red onion, cucumbers, bell pepper and creamy dijon dressing. It’s fresh, bright, flavorful and filling. Basically, everything you want from a meal-sized salad.
When it’s warm out we like to grill the chicken, but during the winter months we just cook it in a skillet on the stove top. It cooks up quickly and still tastes just as good. Even if you don’t try this exact salad combo, I highly recommend trying the thai curry chicken — it’s delish! 🙂
Thai Curry Chicken Salad with a Creamy Dijon Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3-4 oz each)
- spring mix, romaine lettuce or baby spinach
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 2 cups chopped pineapple
- 1 cup red onion, chopped
- gomasio, to taste (optional)
- For the Thai curry spice rub
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
- 2-3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 11/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- For the creamy dijon dressing
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons good dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine the curry powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and parsley in a small bowl to create the rub. Use as much of the rub as needed to cover each chicken breast. You may have a bit of the spice rub left over — just store any of the remaining non-contaminated spice mix in an airtight container for later use.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Placed seasoned chicken breasts into the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes on each side, until juice runs clear. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool. Once cool, slice the chicken for the salads.
- While the chicken is cooking, place all ingredients for the dressing in a small jar or bowl. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- Divide your greens, bell pepper, cucumber, pineapple and red onion on to four plates. Top each with a portion of chicken. Drizzle a little creamy dijon dressing over each salad and top with a sprinkle of gomasio, if using.
This looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it!
This looks really good! I am always looking for fun ways to liven up my salads.
Love the curry chicken!
this sounds amazing!!
Oh this looks amazing!! Will definitely have to try that chicken!
Looks great! The flavors sounds delicious.
This salad looks SO delish!
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Sorry 😉 I’m eating curry tofu for lunch inspired by the whole foods salad bar. Great spice combo I’m sure is great on chicken! Can’t go wrong with a huge salad.
So many wonderful colors and ingredients in one salad!
Looks beautiful and tasty! I absolutely love dijon in my salad dressings 🙂
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it, definitely on my to make list.
Looks yummy! Did you do a post about your decision to introduce meat into your diet? I’m considering that move for myself and am curious about others’ experiences.
Hi Rachel. I haven’t done a full post about it because I didn’t know if folks would be interested. I started eating meat again a little over a year ago after being Pescatarian for 6 years. I was craving it (which had never happened before) so I started experimenting with adding it back in slowly. It’s been an interesting transition, but a good one for my needs. I still don’t eat it all that often and I’m very picky about what meat I’ll eat — I like to make sure it’s sustainably and humanely raised, without antibiotics, growth hormones, etc. I typically don’t order meat out at restaurants unless it says on the menu where the meat is from and we buy the meat we eat at home from Whole Foods, the farmers market or a local butcher. Overall, I haven’t had any digestive problems or other issues from adding meat back into my diet. It’s easier to eat more protein and it keeps me full better than beans and grains.
This recipe looks delish – so colorful, lots of good flavors. Thanks for sharing! Also, I listened to your interview with Lauren from Girls Gone Sporty for her podcast this morning. I think it was from a while back, but it was a great one to listen to! Thanks!
Thanks so much Jess! Oh man, that interview was a while ago, almost a year now!! I’m glad you liked it though. 🙂
I’m always craving a nice crisp salad and this one looks like it is chock full of crunchy goodness with a healthy dose of protein. Yum!
This looks sooo yummy! I love all this thai spiced, so I definitely need to check out that chicken ASAP! Or I could just make your version… drooling! 🙂
This looks AMAZING! Love how refreshing it looks and that dressing sounds right up my alley! 🙂
Thanks lady! Hope you are doing well.
What would you suggest as a replacement for the greek yogurt if you are dairy free?
I’d use a non-diary yogurt like coconut milk yogurt or almond milk yogurt.
Well pretty much all the other comments on here are, “looks great, can’t wait to try it!” I know how much I appreciate reviews, not just comments – so I will say that I really enjoyed this recipe, as did my bf and a friend of mine. Loved the pineapple; the sweet was a great contrast to the spicy chicken. I used chicken tenders so it all cooked a little quicker and maybe wouldn’t have caked the spice rub on the chicken quite so much. It was spicy and delicious, and the way I prepared it, just a *little* bit much. That said I will repeat this recipe! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I really appreciate reviews (and I know my readers do too) so thank you so much for taking the time to come back and share yours. Yes, the spice rub is pretty spicy so I agree about using a little less if needed. My husband and I love spicy foods so we pile it on. 🙂