Hello friends! We made it! We made it through Winter and Spring is here! This may come as no surprise to you – but one of my favorite ways to celebrate, well, anything – is with food!
I can’t think of a dish that better represents Spring than this beautiful Fresh & Sweet Bean Salad with Grilled Chicken. It’s loaded with bright flavors and beautiful colors, and I can practically taste sunshine when I eat it!
Speaking of Spring, did you know that May is National Salad month? This was news to me! It makes perfect sense though.. A fresh and lively cuisine for a fresh and lively season! I’ve partnered up with READ Salads to celebrate Salad Month by teaming up with four additional bloggers, who are also going to be sharing their fantastic Salad related recipes this month. Be sure to follow @READSalads on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the salad loop!
Let’s get to the recipe, shall we!?
The Fresh and Sweet Bean Salad with Grilled Chicken recipe that I’m sharing with you today is the type of recipe that is absolutely worth spending time in the kitchen to make, but thanks to two awesome time-saving tricks, you’ll be done before you know it! In just a matter of 10-15 fuss-free minutes you’ll be enjoying a bowl (or two!) of this salad at your kitchen table, on your deck, or on your patio.
The first trick is to pick up a can of READ® 3 Bean Salad – it’s the perfect blend of beans for this salad, and includes green beans, wax beans and kidney beans. These beans also happen to be packed in the most delicious sweet & tangy dressing, which we’ll be using in our recipe.
The second trick is to purchase pre-cooked chicken strips, which will save you additional time. These can be found in the deli section of most grocery stores.
Beyond that, it’s just a matter of mixing together a few simple ingredients, and slicing and dicing up some corn, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Then you’ll toss it all together, and saturate it with the bold and bright dressing. It really is as easy as that!
What is Bean Salad?
Bean salad is a blend of beans, vegetables, fruit (cherry tomatoes), and dressing. You may be asking yourself, “Is it really a salad if there’s no lettuce?” Absolutely! The Oxford dictionary defines a salad as “a cold dish of various mixtures of raw or cooked vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing and sometimes accompanied by meat, fish, or other ingredients.” That my friends is exactly what we have here! No lettuce necessary!
Is this Bean Salad Nutritious?
Absolutely! Thanks to the READ® 3 Bean salad used in this recipe, you’ll receive an arsenal of important nutrients including dietary fiber, folate, potassium, iron, plant-based protein and more. This recipe is also gluten-free.
How long will Bean Salad last in the Fridge?
You can expect your Bean Salad to stay good in the fridge for approximately five days if it’s stored in an airtight container. From personal experience it’s unlikely that you’ll have many leftovers though!
Can Bean Salad be frozen?
It’s not recommended to freeze Bean salad, because it can cause the ingredients to become mushy and lose their satisfying crunch.
I’ve teamed up with @READSalads to give you and a friend a chance to WIN some of our favorite things!!! Five lucky winners will receive: a $50 Amazon Gift Card, a case of your favorite READ Salads for yourself AND a case of READ Salads for a friend! Click here for the rules and to enter. The sweepstakes closes 5/13 at midnight. And don’t forget to follow READ on Instagram and Facebook
Fresh & Sweet Bean Salad with Grilled Chicken
This fresh & sweet recipe is ready in a snap and is full of bright, mouth watering flavors. It's also full of nutritious vegetables, protein, and fiber and is ready to enjoy in just 12 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 can READ® 3 Bean Salad Chilled, reserve liquid
- 0.25 cup Honey
- .5 tsp Black Pepper Coarsely ground
- 4 ears Fresh Sweet Corn
- 0.5 cup Red Onion Finely diced
- 0.5 Cucumber Diced into 1/4" chunks
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Diced into 1/4" chunks
- .5 cup Cherry Tomatoes Halved
- 12 oz Grilled Chicken Strips Chilled
Instructions
For the Dressing
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Drain the liquid from a can of READ® 3 Bean Salad into a bowl (reserving the beans for later),
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Whisk together the liquid from the can with honey and black pepper until well incorporated. Let dressing stand while preparing the Bean Salad.
For the Bean Salad
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Cut the corn kernels from cobs using a kitchen knife.
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In a large bowl add the Corn, the drained Beans from the READ® 3 Bean Salad, Red Onion, Cucumber, Red Bell Pepper, Cherry Tomatoes, and 3/4 of the Dressing. Toss well.
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Arrange the Grilled Chicken Strips on top of the Bean Salad, and then drizzle with the remaining Dressing.
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Serve Chilled & Enjoy!
