Strawberry Balsamic Marinated Chicken Salad

Mara (my twin) owns her own home too and like I have said it's a lot of work for a working person who lives alone! Her boyfriend was nice enough to help re-stain her deck and our friend Josh... regional games athlete ;-) ... came along to help as well. Good karma for them. Since they worked hard all day, we fed them burgers with a fried egg on top, grilled corn, and sweet potato pouches ...yum! Paleomg.com did a recipe of grilled potato pouches recently too... it is a trend, might need to try hers too. :)

As strawberry season comes to a close in Michigan I am not ready to let them go. I decided to use them as a sweet component in my marinade that doubled as the dressing for my salad. Read the ingredients on your vinegar, sometimes there are added sugars and things you can't pronounce...ew!

Strawberry Balsamic Marinated Chicken Salad

(Printable Version)

- 1 lb Chicken Breasts (about 3)...or more... plenty of dressing :)

Marinade

- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/8 Cup Balsamic Vinegar (2 Tbsp.)
- 5-6 Large Strawberries, hulled
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Dijion Mustard
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 small Garlic Clove, or garlic powder (1/4 tsp)
- Drizzle of Raw Honey (optional)

Salad

- Mixed greens
- Strawberries, diced
- Tomato, diced
- Avocado
- Fresh Basil, chiffonade

1. Make the dressing/marinade. In a blender combine the marinade ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour a quarter of the mixture over the chicken and marinade as long as you have time for... or overnight.
2. Grill the chicken. About 5 minutes on each side over medium to medium-high heat depending on the thickness.
3. Put together the salad using more marinade as the dressing. If I had walnuts I would have used those too!