Summer Strawberry Chicken Salad

What originally started as trying to copycat a Wendy's recipe turned into my own creation as it tastes nothing like the one from Wendy's. lol But it's still delish!

A fast food option for us has always been getting salads from Wendy's (they're the best option when you're on the go!) and over the years they've always had salads with mandarin oranges or strawberries in them. I always avoided, not really understanding how fruit could taste good in a salad with savory dressings or protein. Out of the blue, I decided to try one of their new Summer Strawberry salads recently and oh. em. gee. I was missing out all these years!

The Wendy's salad has a bed of their "specialty lettuce blend", a grilled chicken breast, sliced strawberries, crumbled bacon, a three cheese blend (asiago, fontina, and parmesan), plus candied almonds and Marzetti's Champagne Vinaigrette dressing. The Marzetti's dressing is a bit high in carbs for me, and I wasn't so sure about the nutrition facts in the candied almonds. So I set out to recreate this salad at home in a bariatric-friendly way. Here's what I used:

Lettuce: Bowery Farms Organic Baby Butter Lettuce (available at Walmart, comes in a clamshell container)

Chicken Breast: Perdue Fresh Cuts Thin Sliced Chicken Breast, marinated in my own mix of Tastefully Simple Citrus & Herb Seasoning, white wine vinegar, and extra light olive oil

Strawberries: Self explanatory. Slice 'em up.

Bacon: Appleton Farms Center Cut Bacon from Aldi

Cheese: Tillamook Triple Cheddar, thick shreds

Almonds: Fresh Gourmet Honey Roasted Almonds (salad topper, available at Giant)

Dressing: Taste of Inspirations Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette (available at Giant)

It tastes like nothing like the Wendy's salad, but it's a keeper for sure! Mike and the kids all loved it, and I can't wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow. :)