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Mango Chicken Mason Jar Salad is sweet and savory with freshness and crunch, for a tasty and easy make-ahead lunch recipe. Chop and layer fresh summer flavors into this chicken mason jar salad and top it with lemon blueberry chia seed vinaigrette, an easy gluten free salad dressing recipe.
Everyone says you should take some time one day a week to do weekly salad prep, and general meal prep, too. You know, chopping veggies, buying snacks in bulk and portioning them out. Prepping lunchbox components, and making batches of things like overnight oats saves time and money, and you can make sure you have something healthy to much on rather than grabbing junk. Gosh I wish I could be like that. Now my fly by the seat of my pants approach does mean that The Bug and Little Dude have very varied lunches all the time. They don’t have the same breakfast day in and day out, but I also spend a good chunk of time every evening getting that all ready.
And me, well, I’m a creature of habit with what I eat, and most of it is not easily prepped ahead. I enjoy oatmeal and smoothies made with frozen fruit. My food bill could use some paring down though, and if I had a better routine for list-making, shopping, and prepping, it could save money on our grocery store budget. I used to be in a good routine with all of that, but with the craziness of the past year or so, I’ve lost my flow. Chances are good that I won’t get back to it over the summer, but once the boys are back in school in the fall, I really have to commit to improving in this area. I blame it on being a food blogger, having to make certain things to meet my deadlines, versus shopping based on sales and planning ahead. Truthfully, it’s really that I’ve just let good meal preparation get away from me.
This has to change.
I mean, if I were better and planning and prepping ahead, I could always have gorgeous and tasty things like this to pull out of the fridge for lunch…
This Mango Chicken Mason Jar Salad with Lemon Blueberry Chia Vinaigrette has bright, fresh summer flavors.
It basically has all the components of my perfect salad – sweet and juicy fruit, crunch factor, cheese, protein, and nice leafy greens. Plus a vibrant, easy gluten free salad dressing. The citrusy berry flavor is a perfect match for the mango in the chicken mason jar salad. Fresh mozzarella provides a neutral flavor and smooth texture, and then there’s the cucumbers and sunflower seeds for crunch, though feel free to toss in your favorite sites or seeds. And for a little more flavor, I actually marinated the chicken in the dressing before I grilled it, but you can certainly use any leftover chicken you have, or pick up a rotisserie bird at the grocery store.
I’m a little late on the mason jar salad trend, but it is a fabulous idea for preparation ad portability. Pour the dressing in the bottom, top with the other ingredients and keep the lettuce or other greens at the top so they don’t get soggy. Keep it in the fridge, pack it in your lunchbox, dump in a bowl and lunch is served!
Besides my mango chicken mason jar salad, there are some other gorgeous, flavorful mason jar salad recipes to make, too!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition has a recipe for mixed berry chopped mason jar salad. Rachel Cooks has a recipe for zucchini noodle mason jar salad. And The Sugar Free Mom has a mason jar spiralized Waldorf salad recipe. Yum!
Do you do a lot of meal and snack prep?
Mango Chicken Mason Jar Salad with Lemon Blueberry Chia Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Blueberry Chia Seed Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/4 cup chopped mango
- 1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds pine nuts, or chopped pecans
- 2 oz (about 1/2 cup) chopped cooked chicken I marinated a pound of boneless, skinles breasts in 1/4 cup dressing, and grilled it
- 1 oz fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup romaine
Instructions
- Add the dressing to the bottom of the jar, then layer the remaining ingredients in the order listed.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Did you make this?
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Categories:
You could always pack some of these salads in a jar…
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- Roasted Butternut Squash, Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Salad
- Ultimate Cobb Salad
- Turkey & Apple Salad
Plus here are 22 Sensational Salad Dressings you can use in your mason jar salads!
This looks really good! I used to do a lot of meal prep on Sunday nights but have gotten out of the habit of doing it. I need to do it again.
Such a pretty salad! I hear you with flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to meal planning. I’m in the same boat!