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Shredded Cruciferous Salad with Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Avocado recipe. A tasty crunchy salad full of antioxidants, protein and vitamins!
Last month I took a trip to Chicago to visit a friend. We did lots of chatting, exploring and eating. Chicago is such a great foodie city, and during my visit, I ordered a salad that inspired me to make this Shredded Cruciferous Salad with Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Avocado recipe.
This recipe has everything that I have been obsessed with lately when it comes to salads.
Shredded brussels sprouts, shredded kale, apples, almonds, avocado, cucumber, grilled chicken and a homemade mustard citrus maple dressing. I mean YUM.
I’ve been craving salads lately… and pretty much my whole pregnancy so this recipe really hits the spot. Major plus that it’s healthy! And major major plus that it’s delish! 🙂
I had mentioned that my friend and I went to a restaurant that inspired this salad. Well, I got the idea from a restaurant called Summer House Santa Monica.
I ordered their Emerald Kale Salad, which is shredded kale and brussels sprouts, apples, toasted almonds, and a mustard-citrus dressing. I asked them to add avocado and grilled chicken on top, though… because mama needed more fat and protein. LOL
And the combination was absolutely amazing! I knew that I needed to be making this myself at home, so I took some notes and added this recipe to my recipe planner.
Sooo here is my version. 🙂
Ingredients needed to make this Shredded Cruciferous Salad:
- shredded brussels sprouts
- shredded cabbage
- shredded kale
- avocado
- chicken breast
- cucumber
- apple
- sliced apples
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- mustard
- maple syrup
- parsley
- salt and pepper
This Shredded Cruciferous Salad with Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Avocado recipe is super easy to make and adaptable to your preferences.
For the shredded brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage, I used a pre-mixed salad bag that I found at Trader Joes, called the Cruciferous Crunch Collection.
I’m pretty sure the one I bought didn’t have broccoli slaw in it, so it may be a different salad mix than the one that I linked to, OR I forgot that it’s in there lol.
However, don’t worry if you can’t find it or don’t live near a trader joes. Just make 3 cups worth of your own salad mix made of shredded brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage. Then add an extra cup of shredded kale and you are good to go!
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the homemade mustard citrus maple dressing. You will use this to grill your chicken with AND to season your salad with.
It’s really refreshing and it adds a nice citrusy sweetness to the whole recipe.
Then, just add sliced cucumbers, avocado, apples and almonds to the salad. And some grilled chicken and that’s it!
You have a restaurant quality, delicious salad ready to be devoured. NOM.
And if you didn’t know already cruciferous vegetables are SO good for you. They are known to have anti-cancer properties, are anti-inflammatory, and are filled with antioxidants.
So while you may think you are just eating a yummy salad, you are also treating your body to so much goodness.
I’m excited that I don’t have to go all the way to Chicago just to eat this salad. Though I do have to say, it was so nice to head up there and experience some winter. (This is coming from a Florida gal).
I’m sure that’s how winter peeps feel when visiting Florida BUUUUT I really love seasons and it felt nice to experience some, even if for a few days.
Hope you enjoy!
Shredded Cruciferous Salad with Grilled Chicken, Apple, and Avocado (Paleo, GF)
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 3 cups mixed shredded brussels sprouts, kale and cabbage, ( mine came from a pre-mixed bag from trader joes but you can make your own)
- 1 cup shredded kale
- 1 avocado, , sliced
- 1.5 pounds thin sliced boneless chicken breast
- ½ cucumber, , sliced
- 1 apple, , sliced (or diced)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Mustard citrus maple dressing ingredients:
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbs spicy mustard
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- In a small bowl, make the mustard citrus maple dressing dressing. Add and mix all of the dressing ingredients together until the dressing has thickened. You’ll use some to cook the chicken and some in the salad.
- Place the chicken in a frying pan and add 3 Tbs of the dressing on top. Cook over medium heat until the chicken is grilled on both sides. This took me 4 minutes on one side and then 4 minutes on the other side. Then 2 mins on one side and 2 minutes on the other side. Slice the grilled chicken into thin slices.
- Add the shredded Brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage to a large bowl. Top with the sliced avocado, cucumber, apples, almonds, and dressing and toss. ( Note: you don’t have to use all the dressing, use as much as you’d like). Top with sliced chicken and toss again.
- Serves 2-4, depending on if it’s a main dish or side course.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a gorgeous salad! I love the combination of flavors!
That is one of the coolest salads I have ever seen! It has some really awesome ingredients.