Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken (Easy Cookout Side + BBQ Salad)

This low carb strawberry spinach salad is one of my favorite cookout side salad when the weather starts warming up. It’s light, fresh, and comes together in just minutes, which makes it perfect for summer lunch and dinner or an easy bbq salad to bring to a party.

Low Carb Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken

The combination of sweet strawberries, savory chicken, and crunchy walnuts makes this feel like more than just a budget friendly salad—it’s filling, flavorful, and made with simple low carb keto friendly ingredients.

I love starting with fresh spinach leaves, then adding in the sliced strawberries, fully cooked chicken breast, and chopped walnuts for crunch. The red onion adds a a delicious bite, while the crumbled feta cheese gives it a creamy, salty finish that pulls everything together.

How To Make A Homemade Low Carb Vinaigrette

The homemade vinaigrette is just as simple and yummy. I mix champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and sugar free honey to create a light, slightly sweet dressing that’s perfect with the spinach and strawberries.

A little salt and pepper is all you need to balance the flavors. I also love dressing in this low carb chopped italian salad with crispy artichoke and this keto grinder salad.

Fresh Strawberry Spinach Summer Salad

This strawberry spinach salad is great for when you want something quick but still hearty and healthy. The chicken breast adds protein, the spinach keeps it light, and the mix of textures from the walnuts, feta, and red onion take it over the top.

It’s a great option for cookout sides, but it’s also filling enough to serve as a main dish for spring and summer lunch and dinner. Serve with this keto steak foil packet, a slice of this viral keto onion ring pizza or serve this salad with keto garlic knots.

Easy Ingredient Swaps

One of the best things about this bbq salad is how easy it is to customize with what you have on hand.

• Swap spinach leaves for romaine lettuce or arugula
• Use blueberries or raspberries instead of strawberries
• Replace walnuts with pecans, almonds, or even sunflower seeds
• Try goat cheese instead of feta cheese
• Use a shredded store bought rotisserie chicken 
• If you don’t have champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar works well

These simple swaps still keep the salad made with low carb ingredients while changing up the flavor.

How to customize

You can easily make this strawberry spinach salad your own depending on what you need:
• Add avocado for extra healthy fats
• Toss in chopped bacon for more flavor
• Leave out the onion for a milder taste
• Make it vegetarian by skipping the chicken and add tofu or just add extra nuts or seeds

These add-ons are simple enough to work as a quick cheap salad during the week or a colorful cookout side dish salad for gatherings.

How To Store A Spinach Salad

If you’re making this salad ahead of time, store the spinach, chicken, strawberries, walnuts, red onion, and feta cheese in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keep the vinaigrette (made with champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and sugar free honey) separate until you’re ready to serve.

Once dressed, the salad is best eaten right away, but leftovers can be stored for up to 1 day. Just keep in mind that the spinach leaves may soften after the dressing is added.

This easy strawberry spinach salad is fresh, simple, and perfect for everything from busy weeknight dinners to summer gatherings. Whether you serve it as a bbq salad, a light dinner, or one of your go-to cookout sides, it’s a recipe you’ll come back to all season long.

Low Carb Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken Recipe

Here’s the list of ingredients and step by step pictures to make this Strawberry Spinach Salad with Chicken Recipe. The exact measurements and instructions are in the printable recipe card, just a little below.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 6
Net Carbs: 3 net carbs per serving

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves
Sliced strawberries
Chicken breast sliced fully cooked
Chopped walnuts
Sliced red onion
Crumbled feta cheese

For the vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Sugar free honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Layer the spinach in the bottom of a large serving bowl.

2. Top with layers of the chicken, strawberries, walnuts and red onion.

3. Sprinkle with the feta cheese.

4. Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until well combined, and then pour over the salad.

5. Serve immediately.

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If you like making fresh salads like this on the keto diet, then I have a few recipes you should try next. These easy keto recipes are just as tasty (and as healthy) as this strawberry spinach salad is.

Low Carb Shrimp Spinach Salad
Keto Grinder Chicken Salad
Low Carb Copycat Outback Pecan Blue Cheese Salad