This baby kale chicken cherry salad highlights the best of summer fruit with easy shredded leftover chicken for a light and healthy meal.
Considering all the convenience foods out there, I still seriously don’t understand how or why pre-shredded chicken breast isn’t on the market.
In a country full of lazy and/or time crunched consumers who are always looking for ways to get dinner on the table in as little time as possible, this seems like a hugely overlooked opportunity.
Maybe this is my million dollar idea in life and I should work on ways to get this to market rather than sit here complaining about how it doesn’t exist to the internet…
So while I can’t save you the 5 minutes it takes to shred that leftover chicken whether it’s from a store bought rotisserie bird you picked up on the way home from work the other day, the resulting meat from cooking a stewing hen or, some BBQ breast from the grill over the weekend, I’m back with my girls this month to give you six healthy recipe ideas of what to do with shredded chicken.
From salads to dips to casseroles and everything in between, we’ve got you covered on how to repurpose everyone’s most common leftover!
Hawaiian Chicken Noodle Bowls from Fit Foodie Finds
Get your meal prep on with these delicious Hawaiian Chicken Noodles Bowls made with shredded chicken, tons of veggies, and rice noodles!
Buffalo Chicken Dip from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
This lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip is packed with veggies and loaded with flavor. It is the perfect cleaned up version of your favorite hearty appetizer, that can also be devoured as a main dish, too!
Almond Butter Chicken Salad from Eating Bird Food
This almond butter chicken salad skips the mayo and instead uses an almond butter and apple cider vinegar dressing! Studded with raisins, fresh grapes and chopped almonds, this chicken salad is perfect for serving in lettuce wraps or on your favorite sandwich bread.
Cajun Cauliflower Casserole from Food Faith Fitness
This Cajun cauliflower casserole tastes like a bowl of Jambalaya but is secretly loaded with hidden veggies and protein! It’s a gluten free, paleo-friendly meal that the whole family will love!
Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls
No need for takeout with this Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl! Made just like your favorite restaurant’s burrito bowl, this recipe is filling, healthy and the perfect way to use your leftover shredded chicken!
If you’ve read any recent posts of mine lately (like the blackened shrimp tacos with grilled corn cherry salsa), it should come as no surprise that I just had to take advantage of the amazing summer fruit in this baby kale chicken cherry salad.
Besides the fresh cherries (which I just can’t get enough of right now), these gorgeous red currants popped up in my local grocery store and were just begging to be thrown into the mix.
From their tart brightness to the sweeter cherry halves, this baby kale salad is bursting with summer flavor and freshness.
Shredded grilled BBQ chicken breast from a few days prior gives the salad some staying power and the basil Dijon dressing just brings the whole thing together for a repurposed meal that feels anything but repurposed.
More salads like this try:
The Best Baby Kale Salad
Winter Chopped Kale Salad
Chopped Crispy Citrus Chicken Salad
Radicchio Endive Fennel Salad with Tangy Dijon Herb Dressing
Lemony Shaved Asparagus Tomato Salad
Baby Kale Chicken Cherry Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 cups baby kale
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 ounces shredded leftover chicken, I used a grilled BBQ chicken breast
- 1 cup pitted halved cherries
- 1/2 cup micro greens
- 1/4 cup red currants
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- water as needed to thin
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.
- Place all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil and water in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until smooth, adding a little bit of water as necessary to thin dressing to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl with the salad, toss gently until fully coated and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
LOVE cherries. The cauliflower casserole looks wonderful too!
Those colors! Gorgeous salad Gina!
Love all the shredded chicken recipes, too. thanks for your post
This salad looks absolutely amazing, what a great way to use leftover chicken!!
You have such a good flavor combo of ingredients and SO much texture in this salad! I love that you used cherries too -they’re SO good right now! Pinned!
The red currants and cherries add such a nice pop of color to this gorgeous salad!! Love all the shredded chicken recipes, too!
What a great round up! I love all these uses for shredded chicken :)–I have seen it at Costco I believe but only one time. You need to market it :)
I’m seeing so many delicious recipes here! Your salad is absolutely beautiful, Gina and I love the cherries and currants on top. Perfect touch. xo, Catherine