Citrus Salad with Chicken and Walnuts

Looking for a light lunch that is loaded with tart, sweet, and savory flavors? This citrus salad with chicken and walnuts is refreshing with lots of texture and color.

The salad takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, but tastes like you got it from your favorite bistro.

Grapefruit is the star of this salad – it’s used as an ingredient in the salad itself, and also in the zesty homemade dressing.

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Ingredients for the grapefruit chicken salad

To make this delicious citrus salad, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the salad:

• 3 peeled grapefruits, in segments, cut in half
• 5 cups of baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup of red cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, grated
• 3 cups of cooked chicken, cut into chunks.
• ½ cup of walnuts, in small pieces
• 1 cup of shredded cheese, mozzarella, and cheddar flavor

For the dressing:

• 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 3 tablespoons of garlic wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
• ½ teaspoons of Kosher salt
• Cracked black pepper.

How to make the chicken grapefruit salad

I used some leftover rotisserie chicken for this salad, so there is no cooking required in the recipe.

Make the dressing

Start by combining the vinegar, grapefruit juice, honey, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk well and set the dressing aside.

Prepare the salad

• You can use any greens you have on hand. I used baby spinach, red cabbage, and diced carrots.
• Add the cut grapefruit segments, cooked chicken pieces, shredded cheese, and walnuts.
• Mix to combine the ingredients.
• Add the grapefruit vinaigrette dressing and toss the salad.

That’s all there is to this salad! In just 5 minutes, you have a salad worthy of any high-end restaurant, and you made it yourself!

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If you enjoyed making this easy, healthy salad, why not share this recipe with a friend?

🍊🥗 Fresh, light, and full of flavor! This citrus chicken salad with walnuts combines juicy grapefruit, tender chicken, crunchy veggies & a tangy homemade dressing for the perfect healthy lunch. 😋🌿 #HealthyEating #SaladRecipes… Share on X

Other salad recipes to try

If you love having salads for lunch, be sure to check out these recipes, too:

• Greek Chopped Salad – An easy summer salad recipe
• California Cobb Salad with Ranch Dressing –  Whole30, Paleo, and Gluten Free
• Easy Mediterranean Chicken Salad – Healthy & full of flavor

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Admin note: This chicken and citrus salad recipe first appeared on the blog in January 2014. This post has been updated with new photos, a printable recipe card, and a slideshow video.

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