Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

August 25, 2020

I’ve made this salad more than any other on my site. It’s silly it has taken me this long to take a picture of it and share the recipe here! It’s one of my favorite salads to make for a lunch with friends. (But my kids and husband enjoy it too.) The grilled chicken, almonds, and avocado make it hearty. The creamy goat cheese and sweet-tart cranberries make it more interesting. But the dressing is the star. It’s soooo delicious! One of- maybe THE- best salad dressing I’ve ever made/eaten.

Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

INGREDIENTS

Orange Poppy Seeding Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil (I’ve also used grape-seed oil)
2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Salad:
grilled chicken, sliced
baby spinach (I used a mixture of spinach, mixed greens, and romaine)
avocado, pitted and diced
crumbled goat cheese (or feta)
sliced almonds , toasted
sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add olive oil, canola oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard and salt to a blender. Pulse until well emulsified. (Or you can whisk to combine all the ingredients in a bowl.) Pour into a jar and stir in poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Dressing serves 4.

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *