Avocado Cranberry Chicken Salad with Mandarin Poppy Seed Dressing

Embrace citrus season with this quick and delicious salad!

Avocado Cranberry Chicken Salad with Mandarin Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 Tbsp. avocado or coconut oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 8 cups salad greens of your choice, spinach preferred
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 avocados, slices or scooped
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (feta is a good choice too, if you prefer it to goat cheese)
• 3-4 mandarins, segmented

• Dressing & Marinade

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup mandarin juice (about 4 mandarins)
• Zest of 4 mandarins
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 6 Tbsp, sugar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
• salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Combine all dressing/marinade ingredients and divide in half; save half for the dressing and pour the remaining half into a zip-top bag with the chicken thighs; marinate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, when heated add avocado or coconut oil.  Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels; discard marinade.  Sear chicken on both sides, then lower the heat and cover until chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Meanwhile, toss salad ingredients together; when chicken is done allow to rest for 10 minutes then thinly slice against the grain and toss into salad.  Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.