“Mom, you have to blog this Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad. It is one of the best I have ever tasted!” my daughter exclaimed as she took her first few bites. And I would have to agree, it was so delicious we ate the whole salad between the two of us! The vinaigrette has a lite and citrus taste that compliments but does not over-power the salad, and the kumquats are a great combination of sweet and tart all together. Add grilled chicken, toasted slivered almonds, scallions and diced pear and you have the makings of one fine salad. Top it off with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and you have a perfect lite summer meal!

Deliciously lite & citrus flavored Grilled Chilled & Kumquat Spring Salad
Deliciously lite & citrus flavored Grilled Chilled & Kumquat Spring Salad

 

I visited my daughter and grandson this past weekend while her husband was away on a business trip. And let me tell you, there is nothing that melts a Nana’s heart more than squeezing that little guy!

He's a Bundle of Joy at 9 Months of Age!
He’s a Bundle of Joy at 9 Months of Age!

 

After a fun day of enjoying them both, it was time to make something yummy. Feeling like a lite meal, I ran to the store to pick up salad ingredients for making an Asian chicken salad. When I got back, my daughter asked where the mandarin oranges were, which I had forgotten. Sometimes the best things are born when you have to improvise! We decided to forgo the Asian salad and begin from scratch. She had kumquats and pears, so we made a lite citrus flavored salad with grilled chicken. I know for certain I will be making this Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad several times this summer! The flavors complimented each other so well; we kept commenting on how delicious it was.

 

Colorful sliced kumquats are tart on the inside and sweet on the outside.
Colorful sliced kumquats are tart on the inside and sweet on the outside.

Kumquats are generally not one of those “everyday” fruits, in fact I have passed them by in the grocery store for years. They look like a baby orange, but you don’t want to peel them. Their sweetness is in the rind, which  seems opposite, but not in this case. The insides are quite tart, so you definitely want to eat the rind to balance the taste. Just wash them well and slice them thin.

 

Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar adds a lite citrus flavor.
Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar adds a lite citrus flavor.

Trader Joe’s sells a most delicious Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. I’ve listed this as one of the ingredients for the salad dressing. If you do not have a Trader Joe’s near you, increase the rice vinegar to 3 Tbsp and add a fresh squeeze of orange juice to the dressing. But definitely use the Orange Muscat if you can.

 

Spring Salad with Grilled Chicken & Kumquats
All the fixings for Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad

Grill your chicken adding a little salt & pepper and chop into bite-size pieces.

 

Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad

Print recipe
Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad
Serves 4-5
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 30 minutes
Allergy Tree Nuts
Dietary Gluten-free
Meal type Lunch, Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish
Misc Serve Cold
This Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad may rank as my all-time favorite salad. The lite champagne citrus vinaigrette is a perfect compliment.

Ingredients

Salad

  • 5 cups Spring Salad Mix
  • 3 Small Scallions (chopped)
  • 6 Kumquats (thinly sliced)
  • 1/2 Pear (diced)
  • 1/3 cup Slivered Almonds (lightly toasted)
  • 1 Large Chicken Breast (chopped into bite-size & grilled)

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup Grape Seed Oil (or other lite oil (safflower, lite olive oil, etc))
  • 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1/4 Fresh Lime (juice squeezed)
  • pinch Sea Salt
  • dash Black Pepper

Note

If needed, exchange 1 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice for Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

Directions

Salad
Step 1
Chop chicken breast into bite-size pieces and grill until golden brown (approx. 15 min). Remove from stove and allow to cool completely.
Step 2
Rinse spring mix lettuce leaves and lightly dab with paper towel to remove excess water. Set aside.
Step 3
Chop scallions and half pear. Thinly slice kumquats, leaving the rind intact. Set aside.
Step 4
Toast slivered almonds either under a broiler or in a saute pan until slightly golden.
Dressing
Step 5
Pour oil into a blender. Add rice vinegar, orange muscat champagne vinegar, maple syrup, squeeze of lime, salt and pepper.
Step 6
Mix on low until well blended.
Step 7
Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl, add dressing and gently toss.
Powered by GetMeCooking

This recipe was shared on the following blogs: Moonlight&MasonJars, SweetBellaRoos, MommyonDemand, VegetarianMamma, HungryHarps, TheChickenChick, RealFoodForager

2 comments on “Grilled Chicken & Kumquat Spring Salad”

Leave a Reply

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