Evan and I recently made the drive from Florida to Pennsylvania, and let me tell you — it was not enjoyable. Something that brightened up an otherwise boring day was our decision to stop at Chick-fil-A for lunch.
Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite fast food restaurants: it's quick, the workers are super friendly and there are some pretty healthy options. However, like anything that seems too good to be true, Chick-fil-A has some controversies surrounding it. No matter what you think about it, I know there are plenty of people who still choose not to eat at restaurants like Chick-fil-A that have values different from their own.
Luckily for you, even if you choose to avoid Chick-fil-A for whatever reason, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of their tasty recipes! Today's blog features one of my favorite items on the menu: the Chick-fil-A "Market Salad".
I've always been an 8-count grilled nuggets with Polynesian sauce kind of girl, but I recently discovered the Market Salad and probably will never look back. Filled with tasty fruit, fresh lettuce and crunchy toppings, this salad is constructed pretty perfectly.
I loved this menu item so much and I knew I wanted to turn it into an at-home recipe that didn't cost me $7 a day...so that's what I did. I've had this salad for lunch for the past two weeks and on Sundays, I have prepped all of the toppings and grilled some chicken to put on top. This makes the lunch-making process quick and less messy.
If you'd like to have this salad every day of the week, here's what you should buy at the grocery store during your weekly trip:
1 pound chicken breasts or tenders (I use tenders and grill them with S+P)
1 bag mixed greens
1 bag chopped romaine
Apples of choice (I like Jazz and Honeycrisp — I'll typically buy a bag of 6 apples and have the leftover pieces I don't put into the salad as a side)
1 container of strawberries
1 container of blueberries
Blue cheese crumbles
Light Italian dressing (the Chick-fil-A recipe uses an apple cider vinegar dressing, but I prefer Italian)
Peanuts (you can buy them crushed OR crush them yourself)
(OPTIONAL) Granola — at Chick-fil-A, they give you a little packet of granola to top your salad with...personally I like to keep my granola out of my salads!
Copycat Chick-fil-A Market Salad
Ingredients
Grilled chicken, sliced (I use 1 1/2 tenders/salad)
2-3 handfuls mixed greens
1-2 handfuls chopped romaine
2 medium-sized strawberries
1 handful blueberries
2-3 apple slices, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
2 1/2 tbsp light Italian dressing
Crushed peanuts
Time to construct your salad!
Lay down a bed of mixed greens and romaine lettuce.
Cut your strawberries and apples, and add them on top with the blueberries.
Slice up your chicken and add it to the bowl!
Dress your salad with blue cheese crumbles and Italian dressing.
Sprinkle on the crushed peanuts, mix it all up and enjoy!