In My Lunchbox This Week: Chicken, Peach & Goat Cheese Salad with Chive Vinaigrette

Last week I hinted about a salad recipe that I wanted to share with you and today I'm following through. This salad has become one of my favorites recently because it is filled with all of the fresh flavors of summer: crisp greens, sweet peaches, fresh onions and herbs, and nutty sunflower seeds. Topped with some shredded chicken breast and creamy goat cheese and topped with a simple vinaigrette, it's exactly the kind of lunch I want to eat-- so satisfying and filling that I recently enjoyed it for 4 lunches in a row.

Excuse the photography, please. This was an actual lunch at my desk, in my Tupperware, under the fluorescent light.

So, give this delicious summer salad a try. It makes a great lunch, but served with a little crusty bread on the side it would be an excellent easy no-cooking-needed dinner on a hot summer night.


Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed greens *I love this Fresh Express Baby Kale Mix with Chard & Spinach
• 1 peach, pitted and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 Tbs. red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cooked chicken breast *Try this recipe for slow cooker shredded chicken -- it's super versatile and amazing!
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 Tbs. roasted sunflower seeds

For the Chive Vinaigrette:

• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs. honey
• 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
• 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 Tbs. fresh chives, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Arrange greens in a bowl and top with diced peaches, sliced onion, chicken, goat cheese, and sunflower seeds.

Separately in a small bowl or carafe, whisk together olive oil and next 5 ingredients (through salt and pepper). Dress salad with desired amount of dressing.*

*This recipe will make more dressing than is needed for this amount of salad. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.