Chicken Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Kiwi and Cashews in Honey Sesame Dressing

You can tell it is summer by the amount of salads I have been making for dinner. Obviously eating salads for the sole purpose of eating Ben & Jerry's after dinner. Or on a good night being able to go to the ice cream shop and get a Reese Pieces sundae!! I saw this recipe on the Food Network (not on Pinterest I know I know) for Chicken Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Kiwi and Cashews in Honey Sesame Dressing. I wasn't 100% sure about using chicken broth as a salad dressing. So I adapted the recipe slightly.

Since I had to cook the chicken anyway, I figured I would use the dressing they have listed as a marinade for my chicken (marinade recipe below).

Salad Ingredients:

• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1lb cubed cooked chicken (see chicken marinade recipe below)
• 1 cup hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 kiwis, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch think slices
• 1/2 cup salted dry-roasted cashews

Salad Dressing Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Arrange the spinach on salad plates or a bowl. Top with chicken, strawberries, kiwi slices and cashews. Drizzle dressing on top of salad. 

Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

I mixed all the ingredients in a shaker and then poured over chicken in a freezer bag. I let the chicken marinate for about an hour before taking it out to grill. 

A few things to note!

If you can't find toasted sesame oil at your local store, try Homegoods or TJ Maxx. Every so often I can go in there and pickup flavored oils or spices that my local grocery store doesn't carry.

And my new favorite find (courtesy of my mother-in-law) are these small chicken broth containers. They are perfect for cooking. I always feel like I waste so much chicken broth when recipes only call for 1 cup or 1/2 cup. I bought these at Fresh Market but I am sure you can find them anywhere.

By Jennifer Shelton