This summer-filled salad is loaded with strawberries, avocados, and goat cheese, topped with tender chicken, and tossed in a delicious homemade healthy poppy seed dressing. It's easy to make and great for a party! Your summer just isn't complete without a strawberry goat cheese salad.

What Makes This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad so Delicious?

This salad is the essence of summer with fresh strawberries, ripe avocados, creamy goat cheese, crunchy red onions, and don't even get me started on the lemon poppy seed dressing. You'll feel cool and refreshed with every bite! The best part is how easy it is to make at home. Plus this salad is a known crowd pleaser - whip up a big batch and bring it to your next outdoor gathering!

What you Need to Make This Summer Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

You don't need much to make this summer salad, just a few simple and wholesome ingredients! Just make sure they are FRESH 😉

Spring Mix

Fresh Strawberries

Avocado

Red Onion

Goat Cheese

Chicken Breast

Olive Oil

Italian Seasonings

The Healthy Poppy Seed Dressing

Now let's talk about this dressing. It's absolutely incredible. With a touch of citrus from fresh squeezed lemon, a little sweetness from honey, and an added crunch from poppy seeds, I could drizzle this dressing over truly anything. This healthy poppy seed dressing is the ultimate counterpart to this salad as it only elevates the natural flavors of the fresh fruit and creamy avocado and goat cheese. Even better, all you have to do is add the ingredients to a jar and shake shake shake! You'll even have some left over to add to whatever you wish throughout the week.

Healthy Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients

Oil of Choice (olive, avocado, almond, etc.)

Lemon

Honey

Mustard

Poppy Seeds

Garlic

Apple Cider Vinegar

Tips to Make the Best Summer Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

Here are a few simple tips to ensure your salad is the absolute best it can be!

Use fresh ingredients. This is the key to a great salad. Make sure the lettuce is fresh and crispy, the strawberries plump and juicy, and the avocado nice and ripe.
Assemble the salad right before you serve it. This salad is best served right after it is assembled so the lettuce stays as crunchy as possible and the avocados look fresh. If you'd like to prep it ahead of time, I recommend keeping the salad mix separate and adding the strawberries, red onion, and goat cheese in a separate bowl. Slice up the avocado when ready to serve.
Top with dressing last. Similar to above, wait to drizzle the salad with dressing until you're ready to eat. This has to do with the type of salad mix we are using. Spring mix, along with most lettuces, may begin to get soft and wilt if they sit in a liquid for too long. To prevent this, wait until the salad is fully prepared to drizzle the dressing on top.

Looking for more summer recipes? You'll love these!

Summer Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Healthy Poppy Seed Dressing

Author: Ansley Beutler
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 Salads 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This summer-filled salad is loaded with strawberries, avocados, and goat cheese, topped with tender chicken, and tossed in a delicious homemade healthy poppy seed dressing. It’s easy to make and great for a party! Your summer just isn’t complete without a strawberry goat cheese salad.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Dressing

⅔ cup avocado oil
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp poppy seed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
½ Tbsp brown mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

For the Salad

1 large chicken breast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasonings
3 - 4 cups spring mix
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
¼ cup red onion, chopped
⅓ cup goat cheese crumbles

Instructions