Balsamic marinated and grilled tender chicken served over a crisp and refreshing salad. This Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad is the perfect healthy, flavorful and satisfying meal that’s easy to make.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

• Tender chicken marinated in a creamy balsamic dressing
• Grilled to perfection
• Sliced and served over crisp lettuce
• Sweet tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and creamy feta cheese
• Refreshing and healthy
• Easy to make

Grilling season is officially here and if you’re looking for the perfect easy way to prepare chicken, you’re going to love this recipe. It all starts with a batch of my Creamy Balsamic Dressing that is not only served over this tasty salad, but it’s also used to marinate the chicken.

This dressing makes the perfect marinade to infuse flavor into your chicken. You can also use it for steak, pork or seafood as well. After a few hours, toss them on the grill and get that classic charred flavor that you can only get on a grill.

Slice it up and serve it warm over a crisp, colorful and refreshing salad, with a healthy drizzle of the creamy balsamic dressing.

🛒 Ingredients for Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad

• Chicken
• Creamy Balsamic Dressing
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Red onion
• Feta cheese

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Outdoor grill or grill pan
• Meat mallet
• Meat thermometer
• Brush
• Serving bowl

🔪 How to Make Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad

Prepare the Creamy Balsamic Dressing per the directions, then set aside 1/2 cup for the chicken and chill the rest in the fridge.

Slice each chicken breast in half, to give you 6 thin pieces. Using a meat mallet, pound out the thicker side a little to make sure all sides of each piece are even.  This will help them cook more evenly.

Add the chicken to a food storage bag and pour the reserved 1/2 cup of balsamic dressing over them.

Seal up the bag, toss the chicken to make sure it’s all evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours.

Heat your outdoor grill or grill pan and brush the grates with olive oil. 

Grill the chicken for a few minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F when checked with a meat thermometer.

While the chicken is grilling, wash, dry and tear your lettuce, then add it to your serving bowl.

Add the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion in groups over the lettuce.

Once the chicken is ready and rested for 10 minutes, slice it up. Add the crumbled feta cheese and the sliced chicken on top.

Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving.

☑️ Storage Instruction

Store leftover chicken, dressing and salad in 3 separate containers in the fridge.  The chicken can be stored up to 3-4 days, the salad for 4-5 days and the dressing for up to a week.

💡 Tips

• Allow at least 4 hours for the chicken to marinate, and up to 8 hours if needed. I would avoid marinating less than 4 hours as the chicken won’t have enough time to absorb the marinade to give it great flavor.
• Use organic veggies whenever possible and be sure to wash them well. To save time you can buy pre-washed and torn green leaf lettuce. I still prefer to tear the pieces a little smaller to make it easier to eat.
• Always use a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken is cooked perfectly and not over or under cooked.
• Double the batch of chicken and freeze leftovers for later.  I do this often as it allows me to easily thaw it out whenever I need dinner in a pinch.

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• I used green leaf lettuce in this salad, but you can use just about any lettuce that you like. Romaine, Boston, Bibb, spring mixed greens are all great options, but I wouldn’t recommend iceberg as it lacks the nutrients that the others have.
• Cherry tomatoes are used in this recipe, but if you prefer you can use Campari, Roma, plum or vine ripe tomatoes, just be sure to chop them into bite size pieces to make them easier to eat.
• I also use Persian cucumbers, but English cucumbers will work just as well, as the skins that contain nutrients are easy to consume, as opposed to the traditional waxy cucumbers.  If you use them though, make sure to peel them and scape out some of the seeds.
• If you have chicken thighs on hand, you can use them instead of the breast, just make sure to check for doneness with your meat thermometer, as they will take a little longer to cook if they are bone-in.  If they are boneless, they might be done a little sooner than the breast.
• The base flavor of this recipe comes from my Creamy Balsamic Dressing and I really do recommend making it yourself.  In a pinch if you had to, you could always use a store bought version, just check the ingredients to get the cleanest ingredients and least amount of sugar and carbs.

Is balsamic vinegar good in chicken salad?

Absolutely! It’s really the foundation of flavor for this entire recipe. Balsamic vinegar is rich and gives incredible flavor to the chicken and the salad. It also helps to tenderize the chicken as it marinates.

How long can chicken sit in balsamic vinegar?

As little as 30 minutes and a maximum of 8 hours in the fridge. Any longer and the chicken will start to cook from the acid in the vinegar and mess with the texture. Less than 4 hours, as I explained above, doesn’t give the chicken enough time to really soak up the dressing and will make the chicken a little less flavorful and not quite as tender.

Is balsamic vinegar keto friendly?

Yes, in moderation it’s perfectly fine. This is one reason that I pair it with white wine vinegar in my dressing recipe. It lowers the carbs and sugar, without losing any flavor.

🍽️ More Keto Salad Recipes

• Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction
• Grilled Shrimp Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
• Keto ” Big Mac” Cheeseburger Salad
• Asian Grilled Chicken Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Keto Taco Salad
• Classic Cobb with Ranch Dressing