Chicken Spinach Salad with Apples and Strawberries (2024)

This Chicken Spinach Salad recipe, filled with rotisserie chicken, fresh strawberries and crisp apples, is incredibly fresh and delicious. Topped with a sweet spinach salad dressing, this simple salad is perfect for any meal. Makes 4 servings.

Love a quick salad? Summer Quinoa Salad and Salmon Niçoise Salad are some of our favorites, too!

2021 update: This Chicken Spinach Salad with Apples and Strawberries was originally published in June 2015. The text, photography and recipe were updated and republished in April 2021 to include new information and more tips and tricks.

Who doesn’t love fresh baby spinach paired with roasted chicken, sweet strawberries and crisp apples?

Add in a crunchy salad topping (hello, Ramen Noodles, I adore you!) and a sweet honey vinaigrette, and you’ve got an excellent salad that tastes like summer flavors.

Why I love this recipe:

This salad recipe was developed when I was impatiently waiting for our daughter to be born and had a raging sweet tooth that was hard to satisfy.

One day, I decided to make a naturally sweet salad for lunch instead of devouring more Oreos (my pregnancy treat of choice), and I’ve been making it ever since.

The charm in this salad is that it’s an easy recipe for lunch or dinner. You can also make the elements ahead of time to meal prep this recipe, and that, to me, is pretty excellent.

So. If you’re like me and are looking for a good summer salad that has some natural sweetness to it, let me recommend mySpinach Apple Salad with Chicken and Strawberries.

Other spinach salad recipes you might enjoy: Summer Quinoa Salad | Steak and Sweet Pepper Salad | Turkey Taco Salad | Blueberry Pecan Feta Salad | Chicken Shawarma Salad

Looking for more meal inspiration? Check out my Dinner Recipe Index for ideas.

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Skillet
• Rubber spatula
• Large mixing bowl
• Tongs

Here’s what you need:

• Fresh baby spinach — or your favorite salad green. Romaine and arugula would also be delicious here. So would a spring mix.
• Chicken — you can roast your own chicken breast/thighs or you can use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut
• Strawberries — fresh, please and thank you. Clean them before slicing them.
• Apple — use your favorite. I’ve got Honeycrisp listed in the recipe card because it’s my favorite, but you do you!
• Ramen Noodles — any flavor is fine because we’re going to crush and toast them and most importantly, leave out the flavor packet
• Unsalted butter — or salted butter, if that’s what you have on hand. While you could substitute this with a neutral oil, I really like the flavor the butter lends to the ramen noodles.
• Extra virgin olive oil — or another neutral oil. This makes the salad dressing.
• Apple cider vinegar — ACV adds some much needed tanginess to our salad dressing. There’s no replacement for it. This is not the same thing as apple cider.
• Honey — to add a little sweetness to the dressing. You could sub maple syrup if you don’t have honey.
• Salt and pepper — kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper are my go-tos here.

Substitutions and variations:

• Add different protein. Feel free to swap out the rotisserie chicken for your favorite lunchmeat. You could even add chopped hard boiled eggs.
• Sprinkle on some cheese. Salty feta cheese, creamy goat cheese or sharp cheddar would be a lovely addition to this filling salad.
• Add more veggies. Slice up some cucumbers, tomatoes or snow peas.
• Swap out the crunch. If you don’t have ramen noodles, use toasted and crunchy pecans or other nuts to add texture to the salad.

How to make Chicken Spinach Salad with Apples and Strawberries

Make the Ramen noodle topping. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed up Ramen noodles to the skillet without the flavor packet, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Don’t leave the crunchy topping in the skillet because it could burn as the pan holds residual heat.

Make the delicious apple cider salad dressing. Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey in a mason jar, small bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper. Shake or whisk until combined, then set aside.

Make the spinach salad recipe. In a large bowl, measure in the spinach, chicken, strawberries and apple. Drizzle in the vinaigrette and toss with tongs until all ingredients are coated. Serve on individual plates and top with the crispy Ramen noodles.

Make Ahead Tips and Tricks

• Cook the ramen noodles in advance. Keep them in an airtight food container on the countertop or in the pantry.
• Make the vinaigrette in advance, too. Store in the fridge.
• Use rotisserie chicken or roast your own, and immediately shred it. Store in an airtight food container in the fridge.
• Slice the strawberries ahead of time, too, if you’ll be eating this within 2-3 days. Keep an eye on your strawberries, though, because they will go bad faster once washed.

Other summer salad recipes to try this year:

Love fruits in your salads? Don’t miss Spring Pea, Asparagus and Strawberry Salad, Blueberry Pecan Feta Salad or Strawberry Vinaigrette Spinach Salad. This Summer Brussels Sprout Kale Salad with Strawberries also sounds fabulous!

Want some some meat with your salad? Try Mojo Steak Salad with Grilled Corn or Steak Salad with Orange Vinaigrette.

Just want to make this one? Here’s how you make it…