A gorgeous, colourful salad loaded with tropical Hawaiian flavours! Lots of healthy greens, chicken marinated in pineapple and coconut, coconut rice, drizzled with a tasty cilantro / coriander lime dressing.
Now THIS is what I call a proper salad! Plus it’s transforming leftovers from a recipe I posted a few weeks ago. Thrifty, convenient, healthy, satisfying and super tasty. What more can you ask for in a salad??
A TROPICAL CHICKEN SALAD!!
This recipe is based on this Hawaiian Coconut Pineapple Chicken Skewers and Coconut Lime Cilantro (Coriander) Rice I posted a few weeks ago. It’s a re-purpose of leftovers and I enjoyed the salad so much, I decided to share it here.
Truth be told, much of what I share here on RecipeTin Eats is a consequence of a never-ending plan to use up ingredients I have in the fridge or freezer. Between client photography assignments, my monthly feature in Super Food Ideas magazine and the recipes I share here, excess ingredients is a regular “problem” I have. I actually have a whiteboard on my fridge on which I map out ideas all stemming from a list of “MUST USE” items.
I hate waste. I was brought up being scolded if I didn’t clear my plate. “A farmer worked hard to grow that rice!”, my mother scold, if I dared to leave a single grain of rice in my bowl.
OK, a little off track here. Back to the salad!
So it starts with a tasty coconut-pineapple marinated chicken using the same marinade as the Hawaiian Chicken Skewers. There is actually enough marinade in that recipe to sneak in the chicken breast for this recipe. 🙂
Or you could marinate the chicken for the skewers for 24 hours, take it out then marinate the breast for the next 24 hours.
Then add a stack of greens. After all, this is a pretty full loaded salad! I rummaged through my fridge to use what I had on hand, but really, the sky’s the limit.
I also used leftover Coconut Cilantro/Coriander Rice which I served as a side for the Hawaiian Chicken Skewers. It’s a perfect match for this salad, and a great way to fill it out!
PS This recipe calls for a can of pineapple pieces. So I use the juices for the marinade and sear the pieces to throw into the salad. 🙂
Regular readers know that salad isn’t really my “thing”. I should share more of them. It just takes a lot for me to get excited about a salad.
THIS I’m excited about. A salad worth sharing! – Nagi x
MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
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More giant Salads for Meals
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Hawaiian Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- Marinade (Note 1):
- 1/3 cup coconut milk (from a can)
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice (from can, save pineapple pieces)
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce/ketchup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Zest of 1 lime
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 tsp EACH onion powder , cumin, paprika, ginger powder, salt
- Chicken & Salad:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large chicken breast , halved horizontally
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup pineapple pieces (from can)
- 4 - 6 cups chopped lettuce
- 1/2 avocado , cut into wedges
- 1/2 red onion , finely sliced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 small carrot, finely shredded
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups Coconut Lime Cilantro / Coriander Rice (Note 2)
- Dressing:
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander
- 1/2 garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp sugar or honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together Marinade ingredients, marinate chicken for minimum 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Shake Dressing ingredients together in a jar, set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a non stick skillet over high heat (or BBQ). Add chicken and cook each side for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove and cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes, then slice thickly.
- Sear 1/2 cup pineapple pieces and corn in the skillet until golden.
- Pile salad ingredients on a platter and top with sliced chicken. Drizzle over Dressing. Serve and pretend you're in Hawaii!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer – Because he didn’t realise there was chicken in this salad, he was off snoozing in the sun somewhere. Probably on the sun lounge. As he does.
He lives a hard, hard life……
PPS Dozer makes regular appearances on Instagram too…..in case FOOD isn’t enough of an incentive for us to be friends on Instagram! 😉
This sounds like a delicious salad, love all the flavours going on here. I have yet to try pineapple in a savoury salad, so I’m looking forward to trying it!
Thanks Fida!! Pineapple is lovely in a savoury salad, especially when it’s caramelised! 🙂
Nearly moved to Hawaii way back – so am an Islands person even if not quite a pineapple one – go and make sense of that 🙂 ! Lovely salad and I eat them thru’ winter her Down Under!! With variations could have the above every second day!!! OK: the obstreperous me will put both real onion and ginger in: well ) !! And as my long work days definitely do not reach to Instagram [and all its bedfellows!!] do hope Dozer will remain on the modelling calendar here also ..
A pineapple one??? OK, I’m NOT making sense of that!!!!
Your salad looks so good! So colourful, vibrant and fresh!
I especially like the third picture in your post, the big flatlay with all the ingredients. Looks great! 🙂
Your salad looks so good! So colourful, vibrant and fresh!
Thanks so munch Sarah! I do love the colours in this! 🙂
Hi Nagi, such a colorful and delicious-looking salad! 🙂 It definitely doesn’t look like you used leftovers, and I’m a big fan because we both like big flavor. We’re trying to keep up with the huge amount of veggies we’re getting weekly from our CSA, particularly greens, so I appreciate this kind of recipe where you can throw in whatever you like!
You have such a gorgeous view from your deck – and I’m envious of Dozer getting to take a nap there! 🙂
I’m envious of him taking a nap there too!!! I definitely don’t get much lounging time – glad at he is making the most of the view! N x
Hi Nagi! Beautiful summer salad! When it’s really hot I find that heavy foods just don’t appeal to me. And with all the additions this is a very satisfying meal. Grilled shrimp might be an interesting twist in this. Dozer has it made and he knows it! 🙂
Grilled shrimp is fab with ANY salad, isn’t it??? I know it’s stinking hot over there at the moment but it’s FREEZING here!!! You’ll have to bear with me switching between summer recipes for you and winter recipes for Aussies! 😉 N x
Wow, talk about a gorgeous salad!! I missed this one on Instagram, so I’m glad you reposted it here. It looks wonderfully flavorful and filling!
Thank you so much!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
Such an awesome quick & filling salad for the summer! And you said you made it with leftovers?! Love recipes like this. My mom always say the exact same thing about the farmers! Haha~ It’s ingrained in our brains, so we also like to be creative with our excess ingredients too. 😀
Anyways, pinning this for later!! Thanks 🙂
Amy
HA HA!!!! So mother’s everywhere are saying the same thing to their kids – I love it! 🙂