Strawberry Kiwi Salad with Crispy Chicken and Cilantro Vinaigrette

If you haven’t had a chance to try my Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Salsa yet, well I’m giving you another chance today!  After creating this salsa and having leftovers of it that I didn’t want to expire, I repurposed it into a new salad recipe.  And boy, is it ever good!  This Strawberry Kiwi Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette combines the sweetness of my Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Salsa with the herby tang of a cilantro lime vinaigrette, all topped with crispy, tender chicken strips.

This salad could be eaten for lunch or dinner and you could also leave the chicken off and make it as a side salad or replace the chicken with steak, salmon, or shrimp.  This beautiful, delicious salad is worth saving some Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Salsa for so that you can try it!I decided to use chicken to top my Strawberry Kiwi Salad, since I had some extra chicken left after making my Chip-Crusted Chicken with Maple Dijon Dipping Sauce.  However, I didn’t have any chip crumbs left, so for this salad, I decided to go with a pan-fried crispy chicken that just uses the same flour, spices, and egg that my Chip-Crusted Chicken uses.  You could totally use the Chip-Crusted Chicken, too!  The only thing I did differently here was leave off the chips and cook the chicken in a skillet with coconut oil rather than baking it in the oven.

I used Otto’s Cassava Flour again to bread my chicken, and dipped it into the flour, then into the egg, and then back into the flour again.  I found that this double-dip method led to a sturdier, crispier coating on my chicken.  I pan-fried the coated chicken in coconut oil for about 4 minutes per side, until it was cooked through.  Then I set it aside while I made my salad.For the salad, I threw together some romaine hearts and baby spinach.  To that, I added a nice, ripe avocado.Next, I added some shredded carrots and a large scoop of my Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Salsa.I whipped up a simple Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette for this salad, and it really complimented the flavors in the fruit salsa. I just mixed a big handful of cilantro, lime juice, a splash of white wine vinegar, olive oil, and sea salt in my food processor to create this lovely green salad dressing!To really make this salad a meal, I sliced up my crispy chicken tenders and spread them on top of the salad, with an extra drizzle of cilantro vinaigrette. There you have it!  A scrumptious Strawberry Kiwi Salad with Crispy Chicken and Cilantro Vinaigrette!  This recipe actually makes enough salad for two (normal) eaters – so it was just enough for Mark to eat by himself! 🙂  I didn’t add all the chicken I made to the salad I photographed, so feel free to use more chicken for each serving.  If you want this as a side salad, just leave off the chicken and you’re set.Not sure what your weekend holds, but Mark and I will savoring every last bit of our West Coast vacation and I’ll hopefully have photos and highlights to share soon!  For now, enjoy this colorful, healthy salad and get ready for the weekend!

Strawberry Kiwi Salad with Crispy Chicken and Cilantro Vinaigrette

 

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Created by: Joanna Smith

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 4 chicken tenders or 2 chicken breasts
• ½ cup Otto's Cassava flour
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• ⅛ cup coconut oil

For the Salad:

• 3 cups mixed greens (I used baby spinach and romaine hearts)
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup of Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Salsa

For the Cilantro Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• ⅛ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add spices to your flour and place into a medium bowl. Beat your egg in a separate bowl.
2. Dip chicken first into the flour, then into the egg, and then back into the flour and set aside until you dip all of the pieces.
3. Heat a skillet over medium/high heat and add the coconut oil.
4. Pan-fry the chicken in coconut oil for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and crispy on the outside. Set chicken aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
5. On a large plate or in a medium bowl, combine your salad ingredients.
6. In a food processor or blender, add vinaigrette ingredients and process until blended.
7. Top salad with dressing and sliced chicken tenders.

Notes

~You could try substituting other flour for the cassava flour- like all-purpose or gluten-free flour. Coconut flour may also work, too. I have only tried this with cassava flour, though!
~Leave off the chicken if you want this as a side salad, or use other protein in place of the chicken if you prefer.

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