If you want to incorporate more salads into your diet, but also don’t want to go hungry, this Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad is just the thing.

Wait…grilled peach?

Absolutely! If you haven’t tried grilling peaches, give this recipe a try. You’ll be a convert in no time. More on why you should be grilling peaches on a regular basis a bit later. Keep reading.

This salad is filling. In addition to the chicken and peach, you’re getting cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onion, and pecans. Might not sound like much on paper, but once you load up that bowl, well, you might not be able to finish it.

You’ll want to finish it. Because it’s delicious. But it is a LOT of food.

Even my husband, who never thinks a salad will be enough for dinner, has trouble finishing this one.

Goal attained!

So, try this one if you have someone in your house who is salad-adverse because they don’t believe a salad can be enough food to be called a meal.

You’ll quickly prove them wrong.

Simple to Make—Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad

Get the recipe from: Buzzfeed

So, let’s talk about grilling those peaches and why you’ll want to do this on a regular basis once you try it.

Not only does grilling draw out the fruit’s juices, it also intensifies the sweetness through caramelization.

But…to get that caramelization, you do need to brush the fruit with butter, oil (olive, canola, vegetable, etc.), or balsamic vinegar.

The balsamic vinaigrette in this recipe adds layers of flavor and also helps caramelize the fruit.

The result? Intensified fruit flavor and increased sweetness.

Five things to know about the Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad recipe:

  • This salad comes together in approximately 45 minutes. It takes a bit longer than you might think because you’re grilling both the peaches and the chicken and you’ll want to rest the chicken for about 10 minutes after you grill it.
Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad ingredients
  • The recipe serves four, so that indicates one peach per person. I’ve found this to be a bit too much given how filling this salad is. When I cut the recipe back for two people, I do grill two peaches, but I normally have about 1/2 to 3/4 of a peach left over after we each assemble our salads. Play with the recipe and see what works for you and your family. You can keep any leftover caramelized peach slices for 1-2 days in an air-tight container in the fridge.
  • Be sure you brush the halved peaches with the balsamic vinaigrette prior to grilling. The balsamic vinaigrette prevents sticking and also promotes caramelization. The recipe calls for you to only grill the peaches cut-side down for 5 minutes (or until they are browned and caramelized), but if you’d like a bit of char on the skin side of the fruit, feel free to flip them over after you’ve gotten that caramelization on the cut side. You’ll need to brush the skin side with the balsamic vinaigrette as well and I’d recommend grilling the skin side for no more than 1 minute as the skin will have a tendency to burn.
The balsamic vinaigrette allows the peaches to brown and caramelize, bringing out more intense flavor. Yum!
  • Caramelize the chicken! The recipe indicates brushing the balsamic vinaigrette on each side of the chicken after it had has been grilled, but doesn’t specify caramelizing it. However, I’ve found that you gain additional layers of flavor if you caramelize the chicken as well. Once you’ve grilled the chicken, simply brush it with the vinaigrette and caramelize both sides of the chicken.
Try caramelizing the chicken as well as the peaches!
  • I typically add a champagne vinaigrette to my finished salad to elevate the flavors even more. I use Girard’s Champagne Vinaigrette.
I add champagne vinaigrette to my finished salad for added flavor.