Recipe: Chicken salad with pineapple and balsamic vinaigrette

Written by Kelly Hastings, a Mayo School of Health Sciences dietetic intern 

Enjoy spring's arrival with this salad that has hints of pineapple! With less than 200 calories and short prep time, this salad will be the perfect dish to serve indoors or outdoors. Pair it with a refreshing beverage, and some cheese and crackers.

Number of servings: 8

Serving Size: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each 5 ounces)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can (8 oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained except for 2 tbsp juice
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onions

For the vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Cut each chicken breast into cubes. In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked chicken, pineapple chunks, broccoli, spinach and onions.

To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour over the salad. Toss gently to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per serving:

• Calories: 186
• Total Fat: 10 g
• Saturated fat: 1.5 g
• Trans fat: trace
• Monounsaturated fat: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 51 mg
• Sodium: 50 mg
• Total carbohydrate: 7 g
• Dietary fiber: 1 g
• Added Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 17 g

For this recipe and more, visit Mayo Clinic Healthy Recipes