Citrus Kale Salad With Baked Chicken recipe - this sweet kale salad is bursting with orange, lemon, kale, sunflower seeds, craisins, and baked chicken flavor!

picture of sliced chicken breast over kale salad in a bowl

This citrus kale salad is fresh, bright, and bursting with flavor - full of crunchy sunflower seeds, sweet and tart dried cranberries, shaved brussels sprouts, broccoli slaw, baked chicken, and a knockout citrus poppyseed vinaigrette dressing.

This salad is one of my favorites of all time - and if we're being honest, I'm not even a big fan of kale!

It is crunchy, sweet, tangy, and delicious - and it even tastes better if you make it about an hour or two ahead of serving - so it is a knockout recipe for picnics, cookouts, BBQs, and anytime you need a hearty and healthy salad that is perfectly portable!

At Sweet C's we have lots of types of readers - those who would like lots of information with their recipe, some who need a few extra tips and tricks, and some who'd like to get straight to cooking.

We've included a clickable table of contents below that will take you directly to the section you'd like to read, and a skip to recipe button in the top left corner to help you navigate this information quickly.

Easy Baked Chicken For Salad

If you're looking for the perfect baked chicken for salads, this recipe is the best!

Baked chicken is my favorite salad topping - it is crazy easy to make in under 20 minutes, and is filling with lots of protein - but doesn't drag down your calorie counts.

This is a super-simple baked chicken recipe that I use over and over for tons of dishes.

The adobo seasoning is the perfect way to add flavor without adding a tons of work for yourself - or empty calories!

Easy Baked Chicken For Salad Recipe

2 medium sized chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp adobo seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Generously coat chicken in olive oil and adobo seasoning.
Wrap in a foil pouch and bake until digital thermometer comes to 170 degrees internally.
Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes (chicken will continue to cook to 175 degrees in the foil pouch) before chopping into 2" chunks.

The Best Chicken for Salads

If you'd prefer to go with another easy chicken recipe, I am rounding up some of my favorites for salads - especially my easy boiled chicken recipe.

This shredded boiled chicken is a total knockout for salads, enchiladas, tacos, and more - so you can make a big batch and get a ton of recipes out of one cooking session!

Easy Poppyseed Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe

This dressing can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week.

To store longer or make in bulk to freeze, I like to pour this dressing into ice cube trays, then let them defrost when I need it – go ahead and whip up a big batch of this dressing!

This citrus poppyseed dressing is fabulous on chicken, fish, steak, vegetables, pasta, rice, and in cous cous – and as a fabulously fresh marinade. The sky is the limit!

Chicken and Fruit Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Dressing

This dressing is also a knockout in my Chicken and Fruit Salad Recipe - be sure to check out all the fresh summer flavor in it here!

CITRUS POPPYSEED DRESSING RECIPE

⅓ c. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ c. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 T. honey
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. poppy seeds

In a small bowl, whisk ingredients together until well combined.

I personally love to make a big batch of this dressing and put it in an easy to use container for later in the week – find my favorite in my amazon must-haves list here!

Other Easy Salad Recipes You'll Love:

If you love this easy and delicious citrus kale salad with chicken, be sure to check out some of my other favorite easy salads!

These recipes are all simple and easy - many of them keto or low carb - and all designed to fill you up without packing on empty calories!

Some dishes, like a stunning fig and chevre salad, a to die for spicy beef Thai salad, and a hearty low carb taco salad are my favorites!

You can also visit my salad recipe archives here.

Citrus Kale Salad With Baked Chicken Recipe

Name: Citrus Kale Salad with Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: For the Chicken (optional - can also use 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, or 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken):; 2 medium sized chicken breasts; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp adobo seasoning; For the Salad:; 4 cups firmly packed shredded kale, finely chopped; 2 cups broccoli slaw; 2 cups finely shredded Brussels sprouts; 1/2 cup dried cranberries; 1/4 cup sunflower seeds; For the dressing:; 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice; 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice; 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice; 3 T. honey; 1/4 tsp. kosher salt; 1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

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Citrus Kale Salad with Chicken Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Citrus Kale Salad With Baked Chicken recipe - the most delicious citrus kale salad, bursting with orange, lemon, kale, sunflower seeds, craisins, and baked chicken flavor for a healthy, hearty salad the whole family will love!

Ingredients

For the Chicken (optional - can also use 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, or 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken):
2 medium sized chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp adobo seasoning
For the Salad:
4 cups firmly packed shredded kale, finely chopped
2 cups broccoli slaw
2 cups finely shredded Brussels sprouts
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup sunflower seeds
For the dressing:
⅓ c. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ c. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 T. honey
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. poppy seeds

Instructions

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Generously coat chicken in olive oil and adobo seasoning.
Wrap in a foil pouch and bake until digital thermometer comes to 170 degrees internally.
Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes (chicken will continue to cook to 175 degrees in the foil pouch) before chopping into 2" chunks.

For the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk ingredients together until well combined.

For the salad:

Mix salad ingredients and toss gently to mix well.

As you're tossing, drizzle with dressing, and add in chicken.

Serve immediately.

Comments

Jocelyn

May 24, 2019 at 2:51 pm

This delicious salad is going to be on repeat all summer long. My husband and I loved it!

Jen

May 22, 2019 at 1:54 pm

This has so much flavor and is definitely going to be eaten a lot this summer! Loved it!

Kristyn

May 22, 2019 at 1:21 pm

This salad looks absolutely delicious!! I love all the ingredients. Salads are my favorite during summer!

Katerina @ diethood .com

May 22, 2019 at 10:59 am

Oh my, this is the perfect lunch!! I LOVE it!

Citrus Kale Salad With Baked Chicken Recipe