Grilled Chicken Wilted Spinach salad is super easy, super flavorful, and a very healthy weeknight dinner idea that you’ll embrace. A splash of Sherry Vinegar brings excitement to the citrus dressing.
I try to eat as healthy as I can during the week, so I can indulge in a cheeseburger or mac and cheese to celebrate the weekends.
So when I find recipes like this Wilted Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken Breast Tenders, I feel like I’ve found gold.
This Chicken and Spinach Salad is one of my all time favorites. It comes together in about 30 minutes and can practically be made one-handed without having to put down your after work/before dinner glass of wine. e-a-s-y recipe.
The combination of flavors here are striking thanks to the warm dressing, salty olives and rosemary dusted chicken tenders.
And with the techniques of tossing the chicken and onion in olive oil before cooking and finishing by steaming and wilting the spinach, you end up with a nice texture and wonderful warm flavors.
Let’s take a look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Breast Tenders. To make this recipe as easy peasy as possible, purchase pre-cut chicken tenders.
- Baby Spinach
- Onion: Use a sweet onion, yellow or white onion.
- Olives: Use your favorite. Black olives, Kalamata, Spanish, or even Castelvetrano. Or a combination.
- Almonds: Slivered or sliced.
- Sherry Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Orange Juice
- Fresh Rosemary
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs would be a great substitution for chicken breast tenders. And you can purchase a whole boneless skinless chicken breast and slice it yourself into tenders.
- Vinegar: Red Wine Vinegar is a good substitute for Sherry Vinegar. Or use Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Almonds: Try pine nuts in place of almonds.
- Rosemary: Use dried rosemary in place of fresh.
Expert Tip: Don’t skip toasting nuts when using them for any recipe. Toasting draws the natural oils to the surface of nut, intensifying the flavor and making the nuts crunchier. It simply makes them taste better.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1: In a bowl combine chicken and onions. Toss with two tablespoons of the olive oil, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each pepper and salt. Set Aside.
- Step 2: For the dressing: In a saucepan combine orange juice; vinegar; and remaining olive oil, pepper and salt. Bring juice mixture just to a bowl. Turn off heat, cover with lid and leave the pan on the warm burner.
- Step 3: Grilling Chicken Tenderloins: Heat a grill to medium high heat, 400 degrees. Using a grill basket so onions don’t fall through the grates, grill chicken and onions for ten minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Internal temperature using a digital read thermometer should read 165 degrees F, and onions should be tender. Turn several times to brown chicken tenders on all sides and onions receive even cooking.
- Step 4: Place spinach, olives, toasted nuts, grilled chicken, and onions in a large salad bowl and toss to combine. Pour warm dressing over salad mixture and toss lightly. Cover salad with a large plate or tin foil for one to two minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Remove plate. Serve immediately. Makes six servings.
FAQS
Wilting spinach means to heat it to a point to simply soften the leaves, but doesn’t cook the spinach long enough to break it down. For this recipe, the warm dressing and the technique of mixing it with hot chicken and covering the ingredients to create steam will soften the spinach and keep it bright green and pleasant to eat.
Storage and Leftovers
This salad is best served right after cooking due to the wilted spinach. If you want to save leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days. Let the spinach and chicken sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to take the chill off and eat at room temperature. Unfortunately trying to reheat the wilted spinach will only result in over-cooking it and it will turn flat in flavor in undesirable in texture.
Tips For Success
- Rinse and dry spinach leaves before making this salad. Use a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain and spread spinach leaves onto a large kitchen towel. Roll the towel up and then pat to absorb the liquid from the spinach leaves. Or better yet, use a salad spinner.
- This salad is best eaten right after preparing. However, you can make the dressing in advance and re-heat when you’re ready to assemble and serve.
- Use a grill basket for grilling chicken tenderloins and onions. That way they won’t fall through the grates.
- No outdoor grill? You can sear the meat stovetop using a grill pan set over medium high heat.
Recipe for Grilled Chicken Wilted Spinach Salad
I hope you give this incredibly easy recipe for grilled chicken and wilted spinach salad a try.
In the world of salads, the vibrant and crisp green leaves of lettuce often steal the limelight. However, next time you’re thinking about a main course salad, turn your attention to spinach. This simple recipe has a unique charm that will have you asking for more.
Related Recipes
- Creamy Tangy Avocado Chicken Salad
- Sweet Chili Mustard Grilled Chopped Chicken Salad
- Strawberry Chicken Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
- Mexican Chicken Salad with Avocado
- Chopped Chicken Salad with Sweet Chile Mustard Dressing
And if you’re looking for more main course salad recipes, don’t miss my Salad Category. You’ll find lots of healthy dinner options including the most popular on my site for Old Fashioned Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing.
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This recipe was first published June of 2011 and updated June 2023 to add step by step instructions.
Grilled Chicken Wilted Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1 medium onion halved lengthwise, cut into thin wedges
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon rosemary fresh, crushed, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 12 ounces baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup olives sliced, pitted Kalamata works good here
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted, or slivered almonds, toasted
Instructions
- In a bowl combine chicken and onions. Toss with two tablespoons of the olive oil, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each pepper and salt. Set aside.
- For the dressing: In a saucepan combine orange juice; vinegar; and remaining olive oil, pepper and salt. Bring juice mixture just to a bowl. Turn off heat, cover with lid and leave pan burner to keep warm.
- Heat grill or indoor grill pan to medium high heat.
- Heat a grill to medium high heat, 400 degrees. Using a grill pan so onions don't fall through the grates, grill chicken and onions for ten minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Internal temperature using a digital read thermometer should read 165 degrees F, and onions should be tender. Turn several times to brown chicken tenders on all sides and onions receive even cooking.
- Place spinach, olives, nuts, chicken, and onions in a large salad bowl and toss to combine. Pour warm dressing over salad mixture and toss lightly. Cover salad with a large plate or tin foil for one to two minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Remove plate. Serve immediately. Makes six servings.
Notes
- Rinse and dry spinach leaves before making this salad. Use a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain and spread spinach leaves onto a large kitchen towel. Roll the towel up and then pat to absorb the liquid from the spinach leaves. Or better yet, use a salad spinner.
- This salad is best eaten right after preparing. However, you can make the dressing in advance and re-heat when you’re ready to assemble and serve.
- Use a grill basket for grilling chicken tenderloins and onions. That way they won’t fall through the grates.
Nutrition
Grilled Chicken Wilted Salad …It’s What’s for Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I have the same motto as you- eating healthy during the week so I can indulge a bit over the weekend. This grilled chicken with wilted salad sounds wonderful. And I really love the warm dressing.
This looks and sounds so good. I just can’t wait to get our garden going so I can have fresh spinach!
I’m with ya sistah! I can’t plant anything until May 10, I imagine it’s ever later for you.
Delicious flavor combinations – everything I love! I thought I’d be eating more salads by now but it’s still chilly soup weather here! Soon.
I’ve been eating lots of salads already, even though it’s still pretty cold here.
Great photo and delicious sounding salad!
This recipe became my favorite when you included wine as part of the preparation! Think I’ll have to make it tonight…
A definitely good salad when you are eating light but, need to be satisfied.
Hope you have a awesome week.
Velva
Thanks Velva
This looks fantastic — I love the wilted salad with the kalamata olives. Plus, anything I can cook while drinking a glass of wine is a winner in my book!
The wine part is important! 🙂
OR…get your husband to cut the onions so you can keep sipping away! 🙂
Love this recipe!!!!!!!!
I love how you think!!! 🙂
This looks just wonderful. My mom used to make a wilted salad when I was a child. This brings back wonderful memories.
My mom made one with warmed bacon grease vinaigrette and it was soooooo good.
This is one of my favorite ways to use leftover grilled chicken! Guilt free and tasty.
Thanks Chris.
The bacon looks awesome! We’ve made candied bacon before, but not with the pepper and cayenne. We will be trying your version.
We practically *always* bake our bacon now, as we love how well it cooks. A little tip – use a sheet of parchment paper on the pan. Makes clean-up much easier.
Make with one hand and healthy? Now you’re talking. Fabulous photos as always Lea Ann.
Sam
Thanks Sam. 🙂
Liar! ‘Ice cream topped cinnamon bun bread’? Now how would you expect a girl to keep reading after that Lea Ann? I did reign in my overactive salivary glands, however and continued to read. What a yummy recipe. Love simple, good food (and the idea of ice cream topped cinnamon bun bread….)
Too Funny Toni. And yes, that ice cream topped cinnamon bun bread from last weekend caused an entire week of this type of food. 🙂
I’ll have you know, I laughed out loud when I read that you could practically make this one handed so as not to interrupt wine-time! In fact, I laughed so hard I spilled a little of my wine, or at least that’s the excuse I’m going to use. After the third glass and all, it’s hard to say what caused the spillage. Now back to that killer recipe – this sounds like the perfect weekday meal. I like fast, healthy, one-dish dinners that don’t interfere with my drinkin! 😛
TOOOOOO funny! I knew you’d appreciate that one, but man I’m sorry to hear it caused a spillage. And yes, I’m convinced that’s totally the reason for the loss of beverage. I sure hope you like it if you try it.
First, thank you for giving us the proscribed wine break…whew; that is good to know!
Second…this is a great weekday meal and similar to what I will often do; quick, easy and light. And yum.
Well I mean really, can you slice an onion with a glass of wine in your hand? 🙂
This sounds wonderful!
Thanks Pam! 🙂
Sounds delicious – I’ll pass this on to the chef. I bought him a grill pan for xmas! We’re eating light these days 🙂 Nice work!
I love my grill pan, I’m sure Neal will too. Forgot to tell you, got the post card of Sophia, she’s on my refrigerator. 🙂
She will be happy to hear that 😉 I’ll let her know she is not in danger of being used for this dish.
Any salad I make tends to be wilted…no matter my intentions. 😉
Well that makes you the expert! 😉
This sounds really good Lea Ann and I’m sure the salad queen will love it. We’re harvesting leaf lettuce and spinach now and had our first wilted lettuce (southern style), using hot bacon grease and vinegar as a dressing. Not too healthy but very good.
I love that dressing that you’re talking about….LOVE it.