Caprese Grilled Chicken Salad (Recipe 46 of 150)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, every once in awhile you come across a recipe that is so perfect and so delicious you want to shout from the roof tops and make everyone try it. THIS is one of those recipes. 

Now, to be fair, I sorta had to fudge the salad dressing a little. It calls for Greek yogurt and I, for some odd reason, didn't have Greek yogurt. So I pulled on my years of making up recipes and knew I could come close. I swapped out the Greek yogurt to 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 sour cream. Close enough for this non girl scout.

I also didn't have enough good spinach so I mixed romaine lettuce in. 

To top it all off, the mozzarella balls I had technically expired on March 22. But since the package hadn't been opened yet, I took a gamble. Crossing my fingers I didn't just poison myself. 

At the end of the day, this recipe was a winner. The chicken marinade is both sweet and savory thanks to the honey and balsamic combo. I will be making this recipe again. In fact, I'll be having a version of this for lunch tomorrow (minus the sketchy cheese).

Caprese Grilled Chicken Salad

Recipe from Recipe Runner

Serves 4

Chicken

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T pesto
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Salad

• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 c mini fresh mozzarella balls
• Dried or fresh basil (optional)

Pesto Dressing

• 1/3 c plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c ow fat milk
• 1 1/2 T pesto
• 2 T shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 T vinegar
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then place them in a gallon size freezer bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and seal the bag pressing out all the air as you do. Massage the marinade into the chicken then place it in the refrigerator to marinate for an hour or overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat and spray or brush the grates with oil. Place the chicken on the grill and grill for approximately 4-6 minutes per side depending on the size and thickness of the chicken. Remove from the grill and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Whisk together until combined and taste for seasoning.

Place the spinach on a serving platter or bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, mozzarella balls and sliced chicken on top of the spinach. Top with a sprinkle of kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and dried basil. Drizzle the salad with the dressing or serve on the side.