Healthy Spinach, Beet and Chicken Salad

(5.0)
By Judy Capodanno
Published 2/7/2022
Dietitian Reviewed: Jane Schwartz, RDN, CLT
Approved for These Diets:
Heart Healthy | Gluten Free | Diabetic
Healthy Spinach, Beet and Chicken Salad

Loaded with vibrant, heart-healthy vegetables, this Chicken Beet Salad features a zesty carrot-ginger dressing for a flavor combination that can’t be beat. Not only will you love the eye-catching appeal of this spinach chicken salad, but the colorful ingredients meld together to satisfy your taste buds.

Total Time
45 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
423
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Why You’ll Love This Healthy Chicken Beet Salad

  • An array of colors: Nothing is boring about this bowl of healthy ingredients. From the bright red beets and orange carrots to the soft green of the avocado atop a bed of deep greens, your bowl will look like a (healthy) work of art.
  • A symphony of flavor: As if the vibrant colors weren’t enough, what you’ll enjoy most are the flavors of all ingredients that complement each other well in this healthy chicken salad. You’ll especially love the taste of the carrot ginger dressing that’s far from ordinary.
  • A mix of textures: Adding to the experience of eating this chicken beet salad is the mix of textures. From the creaminess of the avocado to the crunch of the pumpkin seeds, your senses will be stimulated.
  • A healthy lunch or dinner: Not only is this heart healthy salad low calorie, low sodium and low in saturated fat and sugar, but it packs a protein punch. It’s also gluten-free so it fits many dietary plans.

Many salads start healthy, especially when they’re filled with an assortment of fresh vegetables like spinach, carrots and beets. But it’s what gets added to the salad at the end, either in the way of toppings or salad dressing, that can make or break the healthfulness of the salad. We’ve added chicken breast and chickpeas for protein, as well as avocado, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds for a dose of healthy fat and fiber. The star of this recipe is a heart healthy salad dressing that uses a little olive oil along with rice vinegar, roasted carrots, ginger and orange zest to give the salad a tangy and vibrant punch of flavor.

When it comes to eating heart healthy salads that satisfy, it’s all about the dressing. The dressing for this healthy spinach salad with chicken starts by roasting grated carrots until they are soft. The carrots are then combined in a blender with water, olive oil, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, orange zest and a pinch of salt and all ingredients are blended until smooth. This low sodium salad dressing is so delicious that you may want to make extra and add it to other salads, too!

Chicken and salad go together like peanut butter and jelly – they just belong together. If you enjoy chicken salads for lunch or dinner, give one of these a try:

Or check out our blog about healthy salad recipes for more ideas.

Health eCooks Cookbook on Amazon

Ingredients

Recipe yields 4 servings

Carrot Ginger Dressing

Salad

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Helpful How-To Video

How to Make Spinach, Beet and Chicken Salad

Carrot Ginger Dressing

  1. Make the dressing: Preheat oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, arrange the grated carrots. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. In a blender, add the roasted carrots, water, 1/4 cup olive oil, rice vinegar, ginger, orange zest and salt. Blend until smooth. Cover and chill.

Salad

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the salad: In a large bowl, toss the spinach with the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Add the chickpeas, carrot, beet, chicken, half of the cubed avocado, pumpkin seeds and black pepper to taste, and toss.

  2. Step 2

    Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and toss. Top with the remaining avocado, the remaining half of the dressing and the sesame seeds. Season with the salt and black pepper to taste.

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:
2 oz chicken, 1 cup salad

423
Calories
27
g
Fat
48
mg
Cholesterol
219
mg
Sodium
21
g
Carbs
3
g
Sat. Fat
9
g
Fiber
23
g
Protein
2
g
Sugars
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