High-Protein Grilled Chicken Salad

This grilled chicken salad is perfect for summer entertaining. You can make the dressing, marinate the chicken, pickle the onions and slice your vegetables a few hours ahead of time, then just grill and assemble the salad after the guests arrive.

Prep/Cook Time: 45 Minutes, Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion
• 5 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
• ⅔ cup grapeseed oil, plus more for grill grates
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch-thick planks
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch-thick strips
• 2 large romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise
• 3 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach
• 2 small tomatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high (400°F to 450°F). Halve onion lengthwise through root end. Cut 1 half into 1-inch wedges; set aside. Thinly slice the other half. Place the onion slices in a small bowl; add 2 tablespoons vinegar; toss to combine. Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, until ready to use. Drain before serving.
2. Whisk garlic, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar together in a large bowl until the salt dissolves. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is creamy. Set aside ¼ cup dressing. Stir paprika into the remaining dressing in the bowl. Combine zucchini slices, bell pepper strips, romaine halves and the reserved onion wedges on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with ½ cup dressing; toss to coat well, making sure to get dressing between the lettuce leaves. Place chicken in the large bowl with the remaining dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
3. Oil the grill grates by holding an oil-soaked paper towel with tongs. Grill the chicken and the vegetables, uncovered, for 1 minute. Continue grilling until the romaine is slightly wilted, about 1 minute more; transfer the romaine to the baking sheet. Continue grilling the chicken and vegetables, covered and turning occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp with grill marks and a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, about 6 minutes for the vegetables and 8 to 10 minutes for the chicken. Return the grilled chicken and vegetables to the baking sheet with the romaine; let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut the romaine and vegetables into 1-inch chunks.
4. Transfer the chopped romaine to a large bowl. Add spinach and the reserved ¼ cup dressing; toss well. Arrange the mixture on a large platter; top with sliced chicken, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes and pickled onions. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving: 416 Calories, Total Fat: 26 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 65 mg, Carbohydrates: 16 g, Fiber: 7 g, Total Sugars: 7 g, Added Sugars: 0 g, Protein: 31 g, Sodium: 720 mg, Potassium: 893 mg, Phosphorus: 111 mg, Iron: 4 mg, Folate: 316 mcg, Calcium: 117 mg, Vitamin A: 20510 IU, Vitamin C: 94 mg

© Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission.