Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad
Sweet watermelon and salty blue cheese make a lively match for browned chicken in this fresh salad. Balsamic reduction adds a tangy sweetness across the greens, while almonds give each forkful a little crunch beside the juicy fruit.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 8 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Lunch
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Grilling
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Salads
A few quick notes
1. Reduce the balsamic
Simmer the vinegar until significantly reduced and beginning to turn syrupy before drizzling it over the salad.
2. Season both sides
Sprinkle seasoning over both chicken sides and drizzle with oil before placing the breasts on the hot grill.
3. Rest before cubing
Give the cooked chicken five minutes to rest before cutting it into small cubes for the salad.
Get to know the ingredients
Watermelon
Use cubed watermelon in the salad so its juicy pieces distribute among the chicken, greens and cheese.
Blue cheese
Scatter blue cheese crumbles over the greens with the chicken and watermelon before adding the balsamic reduction.
Almonds
Sliced or crushed almonds add the final crunchy pieces among the soft chicken and fruit in the salad.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Drizzle to taste
Layer the salad ingredients and drizzle with the balsamic reduction to taste, adding extra olive oil if desired.
A little more help as you go
Skillet alternative
The directions allow a nonstick skillet over high heat as an alternative to grilling the chicken.
Cook while vinegar reduces
Prepare the chicken while the balsamic vinegar simmers so both are ready for assembling the salad.
A few questions you might have
Can I cook the chicken in a skillet?
Yes. The directions allow a hot nonstick skillet instead of the grill for cooking the seasoned chicken.
How thick should the balsamic become?
Simmer until it is significantly reduced and starting to turn syrupy, then drizzle it over the assembled salad.
When should I cube the chicken?
Let it rest five minutes after cooking, then cut it into small cubes before layering with the salad.
Can I use greens other than spinach?
The ingredient list allows baby spinach or greens for the base beneath the chicken, fruit and toppings.
Does the salad need another dressing?
The directions finish it with balsamic reduction to taste and optional additional olive oil over the layered ingredients.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: pinchofyum.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
