Easy summer meals that you don't need to turn your oven on for are a must, which is what makes this recipe the perfect dinner for hot days! Though full of filling ingredients like chicken and black beans, this salad is still a light meal! If you're partial to Hawaiian cuisine, then this recipe is a must-try!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- An easy recipe for a sweet salad making the perfect summer meal!
- Perfect for those cold winter days that have you dreaming about the Hawaiian islands!
- Fresh fruit is the best part of this Hawaiian chicken salad! It adds just the right amount of tropical flavor and sweetness!
- Would make a great side dish or a great addition to a summer cookout!
Ingredient Notes
- Poppy Seed Dressing - use your favorite brand of salad dressings or click HERE to get my recipe to make your own Poppy Seed Dressing.
- Shredded Cheese - cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese.
- Pineapple - Fresh pineapple is my preference for this salad, but if you can't get fresh (as was the case when I took the ingredient picture), then canned pineapple with the pineapple juice drained will work. Mandarin oranges could also be substituted for the pineapple.
- Chicken - You can chop up a cooked chicken breast for this recipe, use grilled chicken, or even use leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken.
- Rice Noodles - Crunchy chow mien noodles would work as well.
- Lettuces - I used romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce. If you want to add some spinach leaves to the salad greens, feel free!
Step by Step Instructions
- You can prepare this as individual salads in a small bowl or as one big salad in a large bowl for people to dish up themselves.
- Wash, drain, and chop the iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as prepare the other salad ingredients.
- Add the shredded cheese.
- Add the cooked, chopped chicken.
- Add the sliced green onions.
- Add fresh juicy pineapple chunks!
- Drain and rinse the black beans, then add them to the salad.
- Add the cashews and rice noodles.
- Toss all the ingredients to distribute them throughout the salad.
- Either place in an airtight container to serve later or drizzle with poppy seed dressing for an amazing tangy flavor, toss to coat, and serve immediately!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Romaine lettuce may look intimidating to cut up but don't worry! If you need a little help knowing how to do this, check out these instructions on How to Cut Romaine Lettuce!
Here is a great post teaching you How To Cook Chicken Breasts and chop them an easy way up for recipes.
Yes, you can toss the salad ingredients together first thing in the morning without the poppy seed dressing so it doesn't get soggy, cover it and store it in the fridge. Drizzle and toss with the poppy seed dressing when you're ready to serve and eat!
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Hawaiian Salad with Chicken and Pineapple Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 Cups Chopped Romaine Lettuce
- 3-4 Cups Iceberg Lettuce
- 2 Cups cooked chopped Chicken
- 1 ½ Cups Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- 8-10 Green Onions sliced up
- 15 oz Black Beans, drained and rinsed 15 oz Can
- 1 ½ Cups Bite Sized pieces of fresh Pineapple
- 6 oz Rice Noodles, aka Asian Style Crunchy Noodles 2 x 3 oz Cans
- 1 Cup Cashew halves and pieces
- Bottle of your favorite Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
Instructions
- Wash, chop, drain, and prepare all the ingredients.
- Toss the lettuce, chicken, cheese, black beans, pineapple, green onions, rice noodles, and cashews together.
- To save for later, don't add the dressing yet. Just cover and store in the fridge.
- To serve immediately, drizzle with poppy seed dressing and toss to coat. Serve.
Notes
- Click for my recipe for Poppy Seed Dressing if you would like to make your own.
- If you can't get fresh pineapple, you can drain and use 2 (8oz) cans of canned pineapple.
- You can toss the salad together first thing in the morning and add the dressing before serving.
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Before you go, be sure to check out a few of my most popular recipes!
Mindee
Quick and easy!
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Lunch time favorite