Recipe: Chicken Strawberry Salad

I really like having salad meals for dinner around once a week.  Pigg#1 has learned that salad is really good for him and makes him strong and that it can taste delicious.  This is one of my favorite salads to make because there is so much yumminess that you forget you're eating lettuce too.

 I like to make the chicken and pecans ahead so they are easy to throw in the salad and I usually make extra chicken to use in salad wraps because it is so good!  And I usually put the salad right on to the individual plates instead of making a platter with beautiful presentation.  It works better for our family.  And extra salad just goes into a bowl all mixed together...Pigg#1 is sure to ask for seconds (except for the pecans.  He thinks they are spicy) and Pigg#2 is sure to ask for more strawberries and pecans.

Chicken Strawberry Salad

Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 cup Italian dressing
1 cup Lawry's Mesquite-Lime Marinade
1 cup teriyaki sauce
lemon pepper to taste

Strawberry Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
8 Tbsp. sugar
8 Tbsp. vinegar
1 cup oil
8 Tbsp. strawberry jam

Sweet and Spicy Pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup pecans
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

Salad:
mixed greens
green onions
sweetened strawberries
diced apples (tossed with fresh lime juice)
spiced pecans
crumbled feta cheese

Combine Italian salad dressing, mesquite Marinade, and teriyaki sauce in a gallon-sized, zipper-sealed bag.  Add chicken breasts and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Transfer chicken to a jelly roll pan and sprinkle with lemon pepper.  Bake at 350 for 28 minutes or until done.  Let rest on pan for 10 minutes.  Thinkly slick.  Discard remaining marinade.

In a small bowl, mix vinaigrette ingredients together.  Set aside.

For pecans, stir sugar and water together until sugar dissolves.  Soak pecans in mixture for 10 minutes.  Mix together sugar, chili powder, and red pepper.  Drain pecans from first mixture and coat in second mixture.  Place pecans on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 

On large platter, toss together mixed greens, green onions, and a little of the dressing.  Place thinly sliced chicken down the center.

Around periphery, place sliced strawberries, diced apples, spice pecans, and crumbled feta cheese.  Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving.