This quick and easy Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad Recipe is a simple way of turning leftover chicken into a zesty, light and delicious lunch/snack.
What I love most about having leftovers is that they can be turned into anything we want. They can be added to soups, stews, sandwiches, wraps, pasta or salads – the possibilities are endless. This Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad Recipe turns leftover chicken into a zesty delicious appetizer or light lunch.
Pineapple and chicken is a tried and tested combination. It works equally well in pizzas as well as salads and wraps. See for example this easy grilled chicken pineapple wrap, which comes with with a a quick, refreshing minty guacamole.
Easy pineapple chicken recipe
This recipe consists of 2 parts: one is making the chicken salad and the other to grill the pineapple. Both are super quick and easy.
Making the chicken salad
This simply involves combining all the ingredients in the list (apart from the pineapple). There is a bit of chopping involved but you won’t need more than 8 minutes throwing this chicken salad together. After that all you have to do is grill your pineapple.
Prepping the pineapple
For me the easiest way of preparing the pineapple is to cut both ends, stand the pineapple on one end and slice the skin off downwards all the way around. Then cut thick slices lengthways around the core. Your pineapple is now ready to be grilled.
Place a dollop of the chicken salad mixture on each pineapple slice, drizzle with a bit more oil if you like and enjoy!
Can you adapt this recipe
Yes, you can!
I wanted this recipe to be simple and convenient and that meant using ingredients most of us tend to have in our cupboards or fridges. That’s why this recipe is very flexible and you do not have to stick to my ingredient choices. It’s about using the ingredients you have in a way that suits you.
I used tinned aduki beans in this recipe, but you can use any variety of beans, and chickpeas will do as well. I chose dark coloured beans to create a bit of a contrast with the other ingredients. The choice of leafy salad vegetables is also quite flexible. I happened to have arugula, spinach and watercress in my fridge, couldn’t decide which one would work best and ended up using a combination of all 3. But you could use either one or a completely different vegetable if you prefer.
As for my choice of oil I think walnut oil works really well with the rest of the ingredients, but you could use good quality vegetable or mild tasting olive oil.
More pineapple recipes
Quinoa Protein Ball Recipe with Pineapple
Grilled Pineapple Pepper Curried Quinoa
Grilled Pineapple Zucchini Salad
Buckwheat with Grilled Pineapple and Halloumi
This quick and easy Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad Recipe is a simple way of turning leftover chicken into a zesty, light and delicious lunch.
- 1 large pineapple
- 200 g chicken cooked, roasted or grilled, roughly chopped
- 2 good handfuls rocket arugula, spinach and/or watercress, chopped
- 1 tin 400 g aduki beans, strained, rinsed (or other beans)
- 1 large or 2 small shallots finely chopped
- 5-6 radishes chopped
- Sea salt and plenty of black pepper to taste
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Walnut oil for drizzling and sliced avocado for garnish
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In a large bowl combine all the ingredients apart from the pineapple, walnut oil and avocado. Stir thoroughly and set aside.
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Cut off the stem and opposite end of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple up on one end and cut the skin off slicing downwards. Cut approx. 1 cm thick slices lengthways around the core (you should have 8 slices in total). Discard the tough core.
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Heat up a griddle pan and grill the pineapple slices for a couple of minutes on each side.
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Spoon a desired amount of the chicken salad on top of the pineapple, place avocado slices on top, drizzle with walnut oil and serve.
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RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I am bringing this Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad Recipe to Cook Blog Share, hosted this week by Recipes Made Easy. Also sharing with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday and Fiesta Friday (co-hosted by Food Eat Love and Lin’s Recipes).
This sounds great!
Light but filling.
I wish I could get watercress here, I really like it.
What a salad! I love the griddled pineapple, and even better with the delicious salad and aduki beans! Wonderful presentation, truly inviting 🙂 happy Fiesta Friday!
Thank you! Any excuse to eat more griddled pienapple…
I agree!
Monika my mouth is watering! It’s the thought of the griddled pineapple. I’ve had that a couple of times before and loved it but I’d completely forgotten about it until I saw your post! Need to pop pineapple on my shopping list!
Angela x
Thanks Angela! I think pineapple is equally fabulous raw and grilled, and it can be combined with so many ingredients:)
ooooh this looks so delicious and perfect for the warmer weather we have been having. what a colourful healhty dish x
Thank you! I think great colour makes the food taste better:)
This salad sounds so good, and fresh! I’ve definitely been going over the top a bit recently, so this is the perfect recipe to get back on track! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’ve also been trying to eat sensibly this week and recipes like this are really handy:)
Looks delicious:) I love the flavors contributed by the arugula, watercress and walnut oil. Beautiful pictures too!
Thank you! The leafy vegetables add freshness and the walnut oil is just so delicious, especially in salads:)
Oh wow Monika this looks amazing! I need to try this one. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thanks Kirsty! Glad you like this recipe idea:)
Hmmmm looks delicious hope I am invited! What a great idea to serve over grilled pineapple! I love the addition of adzuki beans.
Thank you! Glad you like the recipe, it’s super simple to make:)
Oh my these sound yummy and not something I would have thought of. Often roast a chicken at weekend as it great to use left over for a meal the next day, so I shall definately be making these sometime soon.
Thank you for sharing on #CookBlogShare. Good luck guest hosting next week.
Thank you Jacqui! I love any leftovers really and love using them in completely new dishes. Looking forward to guest hosting next week:)
What a gorgeous salad Monika and just perfect for after Easter! I definitely feel I need to eat healthy recipes like this now x
Thanks! I feel the same, and for me the best way to do that is to post healthy recipes on my blog, that way I have no other choice:)