Summer Fruit Salad with Chicken and Honey Mustard

Summer is all about grilling in my mind. And now that we have moved out of our townhouse, where we would have had to grill in our garage, but now we have a full-on grill! Complete with a view of the pool and the dogs running around wondering what that glorious smell is! Grillin' baby! Summer also means my favorite fresh fruits are in season. Hello blueberries, cherries, and watermelon!!! This salad is the perfect homage to my favorite summer things. So heat up the grill and cool down with this summer chicken and fruit salad.

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Summer Fruit Salad with Chicken and Honey Mustard
Makes 4 salads

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt 
• pepper
• chili powder
• 1 head leaf lettuce, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup grapes, halved
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 orange, segmented
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Honey Mustard Dressing

• 3 tbsp. homemade peanut butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. whole grain mustard
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Prepare the honey mustard dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulsing until completely smooth and blended together. Place in in a small bowl and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salads.

Turn your grill onto high and let it heat up while you prep the chicken breasts. Smother the chicken on both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little bit of chili powder (or more if you want a bold flavor). Grill for 4-5 minutes on both sides until cooked through (should read 160-165 degrees F on a meat thermometer). Size of your chicken will affect your grill time.

Remove the chicken from the grill and set aside to rest for 5 minutes while you prep the rest of the salad. In a each salad bowl, add a handful of lettuce, then top with sections of the halved grapes, blueberries, some orange segments, a few cashews, and some crumbled goat cheese.

Chop chicken into 1-inch pieces and add to the salad bowls. Top with the prepared honey mustard dressing and voila! Summer chicken salads for dinner!