Name: Peach, Bacon and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 chicken breast (boneless, skinless (6 oz each)); 1 teaspoon neutral tasting oil (avocado, sunflower or light olive oil); 2 medium peaches (ripe); 4 slices thick bacon; 3 oz mixed greens; 1 ½ oz red onion (sliced thin); 2 oz goat cheese; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon salt; black pepper (to taste); fresh basil leaves (for garnish); 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons apple cider or white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ½ teaspoon salt; a pinch of black pepper

Peach, Bacon and Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese is an easy and flavorful summer weekday dinner that will brighten your evening. It’s made with fresh peaches, seared chicken, crispy bacon and creamy goat cheese for a wonderful combo of flavors and textures.

chicken peach salad with bacon and goat cheese on an oval platter.

Move away peach cobbler, bring on chicken peach salad! Honestly, as far as using fruit in dinner salads goes, peaches are in my top 3 for sure, after strawberries and blueberries.The sweet, the sour and the creamy texture go incredibly well with leafy greens, salty bacon and perfectly cooked chicken. Add some goat cheese, red onions and homemade honey mustard dressing and you’ve got yourself a true winner of a salad. If you're in a salad rut and looking for something new, give this one a try!

What you will need

ingredients for making peach bacon chicken salad on white marble surface with captions.

Fresh Peaches: use ripe but firm peaches. They are best when in season!

Chicken Breasts: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the protein base for this recipe.

Sliced Bacon: I use thick sliced bacon for this salad. The recipe calls for chopping the bacon and cooking it in a skillet (my preferred method of making bacon bits) but you can also bake whole bacon slices in the oven until crisp and then crumble them over the salad.

Salad Greens: spring mix, spinach, arugula or your favorite mix of tender salad greens will all work.

Red Onions: see my trick for how to make the onion taste milder below.

Goat Cheese: creamy, soft Chevre works so well with sweet and tart peaches!

Honey Mustard Dressing: homemade is best. My recipe is below.

Homemade honey mustard dressing

small round bowls with ingredients for making salad dressing with captions.

Dijon Mustard: classic Dijon works beautifully in this dressing but you can use any mustard you like or have on hand.

Vinegar: apple cider vinegar is my favorite in salad dressings but you can also use white wine vinegar for this recipe.

Olive Oil: extra virgin olive oil is best.

Honey: pick thick but pourable honey so it can dissolve easily in the dressing.

Salt & Pepper: to season the dressing.

Step by step directions

STEP 1: Soak the onion. Place the sliced onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let it soak while you prepare the salad, then drain on a sieve. This step may seem redundant but I highly recommend the soaking trick if you don’t like sharp onion flavor (and onion breath after dinner). It makes the onion taste milder and sweeter.

STEP 2: Cook the bacon until crisp. My preferred method is to chop the bacon slices into small pieces, cook them in a skillet until brown and crispy, then remove bacon bits with a slotted spoon and lay them on a paper towel to drain any excess fat.

STEP 3: Cook the chicken. The seasoning on the chicken is pretty simple: salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sear it in a cast iron skillet (or your favorite skillet with a thick bottom) on both sides, turn the heat down and cook for about 20-25 minutes flipping a couple times until the inner temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have an air fryer, you can also cook the chicken by air frying it for about 9 minutes per side in 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

cooking chicken breasts in an iron skillet.

STEP 3: Make the dressing. Put all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until smooth. You can also place the honey, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk adding the oil in a slow stream until the dressing is thick and smooth.

STEP 5: Chop and slice the ingredients. Slice the peaches into wedges (about 8-10 per peach), leaving the skin on. Let the chicken cool slightly and chop or slice. Crumble the goat cheese with your fingers and drain the onions.

STEP 6: Assemble the salad. Arrange the greens on a platter (or a large bowl) and top with chopped cooked chicken, peach slices, crispy bacon bits, goat cheese crumbles and red onion. Then drizzle with the honey mustard dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Meal prep and make ahead tips

To make ahead, arrange all salad ingredients on a platter and place in the fridge. Make the dressing and keep it in a jar at room temperature until ready to serve. Then, take out of the fridge, give the dressing a good shake, drizzle and serve. If you want to meal prep this salad as a school or work lunch, divide the salad between air tight glass or plastic containers, prepare the dressing and divide between mini mason jars (or bring the bigger jar to work). Dress the salad before serving.

Substitutions and special diets

The wonderful thing about dinner salads is that there is no right or wrong way to make them. Adjust the amounts to your preferences, replace some ingredients with others and make it your own! Here are some suggestions you might like:

If you don’t like goat cheese, replace with crumbled feta or blue cheese or skip all together.
Nectarines, apricots or plums can be used instead of peaches. Just make sure they’re ripe.
To turn this dish into a lighter side salad, skip the chicken and serve as a side at a potluck or a family barbeque.
If you like grilled peaches, go ahead and grill them on a gas grill, barbeque or a grill pan until grill marks appear. It will make for a stunning presentation! You can also grill the chicken, instead of cooking it in a skillet.
When peaches are not in season, you can use canned peach slices in 100% peach juice. Just drain and use instead of fresh peaches.
This recipe is naturally gluten free. For a paleo/whole30 version, skip the cheese and use a different kind of dressing, for example a simple lemon vinaigrette.

More summer dinner ideas

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Recipe

Meet the Author

Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.