Cooking Light: Strawberry-Chicken Salad with Pecans

Your kids will love eating their greens with this Strawberry-Chicken Salad from our friends at Cooking Light. The sweet strawberry-balsamic dressing, crumbled feta cheese, and crunchy pecans will have kids craving this seasonal spinach salad.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

3/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 cups halved strawberries, divided

2 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Cooking spray

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

1 ounce reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions:

1. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, honey, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Add 1 cup strawberries, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon oil; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, salt, and paprika. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut across the grain into slices.

3. Divide spinach, remaining 1 cup strawberries, and onion between 2 plates. Top evenly with chicken slices and strawberry-balsamic mixture. Top each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons pecans and 2 tablespoons cheese.

Tips & Trick:

Get the kids involved! Let kids top their salads with the pecans and cheese to lend their personal touches.
If raw red onions are too strong for your kids growing palates, soak them in ice water after slicing to remove some of the flavor.