This delightful kale and wild rice salad is packed with a variety of delicious ingredients: chicken, avocados, feta, almonds, apples, and more! It’s absolutely delicious!
During the January blues, a loaded, beautiful, and tasty salad is just what my heart craves.
This salad is like a bowl of happiness. The flavors! The textures! That amazing dressing. I could happily eat this every day for the rest of my life.
Filled with Nutritious Goodness
Let’s take a quick look at all the tasty ingredients in this salad that begins with a base of kale or power greens.
- brown/wild rice
- grilled or cooked chicken
- craisins
- toasted almonds
- honeycrisp apple
- fresh basil (or a pinch of dried basil in the dressing)
- avocado
- feta cheese
As with any great salad, you can mix and match the ingredients based on your preferences and creativity.
For example, roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash would be a fantastic addition to this salad. You can also swap the grilled chicken for another protein or omit it for a vegetarian option.
Tangy Balsamic Dressing
The dressing for this salad is light, fresh, and tangy, featuring balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon juice.
You can use regular (dark) balsamic vinegar, white balsamic, or red or white wine vinegar. I personally love using mango white balsamic for a unique twist.
Simply blend everything together for an effortless dressing!
This salad is lightly dressed, so if you prefer more dressing, you may want to double the recipe.
Elevate Your Salad Game
For larger main dish salads like this, I prefer serving the dressing on the side to preserve freshness in any leftovers.
Too often, I’ve encountered sad leftover salads in the fridge with wilted lettuce and unappealing ingredients. The thought gives me chills.
However, all the ingredients in this salad (except the avocado) hold up well with the dressing and as leftovers! (Consider serving the avocado on the side if you expect leftovers.)
Drizzle the dressing, give it a gentle toss, and enjoy!
Recommended by Friends
This recipe comes highly recommended by my cousin-in-law, Tami, who has great taste in recipes and food.
She raved about this salad, calling it one of the best she’s ever had and insisting I try it immediately. So I did. And I agree. It’s a winner…a recipe I’ll be making again and again.
I kept the greens in larger pieces, but Tami mentioned that her friend who made it finely chopped the kale/spinach. I can see myself trying that approach when I’m feeling a bit more ambitious.
There’s no wrong way to enjoy this salad. With its wide array of delicious ingredients and that amazing dressing, it’s truly a standout salad!
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Kale and Wild Rice Salad
Salad:
- ¾ cup uncooked wild rice blend (see note)
- 6 ounces (about 5 lightly packed cups) coarsely or finely chopped kale/baby spinach or a power greens mix (see note)
- 2 to 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken (see note)
- 1 medium honeycrisp apple, cored and diced
- ½ to 1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted (see note)
- ½ to 1 cup craisins or golden raisins
- ½ to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ to 1 cup chopped fresh basil (optional – if not in season, add a pinch of dried basil to the dressing)
- 1 to 2 medium avocados, diced
Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons See also Hawaiian Chicken and Veggie Teriyaki Bowl