Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberry Salad Dressing

Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberry Salad Dressing combines crunchy veggies, sweet berries, the most delicious fried goat cheese, some chicken, and a creamy strawberry dressing. So many wonderful flavors and textures in this healthy salad!

I love a main course salad like this one, but if you want to try others, head to my Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad, Crunchy Curry Chicken Salad or my Best Italian Chopped Salad.

I’m obsessed with trying new, interesting salad recipes. Back in the day, I only ate very boring salads – iceberg lettuce, carrots, cottage cheese, peas, saltine crackers (crushed) topped with some of that gross French dressing in the bottle! Remember that?

Anyway, NO MORE boring salads for this chic. I’ve gotten wiser over the years, and yes, the internet and the massive amount of food blogs have helped tremendously!

So let’s talk about fried goat cheese salads. It’s a huge player now in our home, and I’m going to tell you why you’ll love it too.

• A variety of greens is a wonderful base for all the flavor you’re going to add to the top.
• Some savory nibbles, like red onion and radishes, add to the flavor profile.
• The sweet addition of fruit is a great balance to the savory.
• Toasted almonds adds protein and an extra crunch.
• Some rotisserie chicken for EXTRA protein.
• A drizzle of creamy strawberry dressing adds creaminess and some tang, and let’s face it, COLOR!
• And last but not least, the (lightly) fried goat cheese will literally melt in your mouth, and you’ll decide that salads are the very best thing to eat. 😀

Ingredients for Strawberry Salad Dressing:

• Strawberries – Use fresh strawberries for this dressing. Just one cup of chopped berries needed.
• Olive Oil – I prefer extra-virgin olive oil, but you could use what you have.
• Lemon – Just a tad of lemon to add freshness.
• Mustard – Dijon mustard makes the dressing creamy.
• Honey – Necessary for sweetness, but you could use regular sugar too (but less).
• Salt & Pepper – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, always.

To make the dressing:

• Simply, place all ingredients in a blender, and pulse until creamy.
• Store the dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• The dressing will stay fresh for several days.

Ingredients needed for Fried Goat Cheese:

• Goat Cheese – You’ll want to buy the goat cheese in a log, so you can easily cut it into one ounce sections. I used a herbed variety, but plain works great too.
• Flour – I used all-purpose flour, but others could be substituted.
• Egg – One large egg, whipped with a little bit of water.
• Bread Crumbs – I went with Italian bread crumbs, but you could use a plain Panko or even homemade if you have it.
• Olive Oil – Just a couple of tablespoons needed to lightly fry the rounds of breaded goat cheese.

How to make Fried Goat Cheese:

Step 1
Prepare goat cheese. Slice the goat cheese log into eight one-ounce sections. Pat together so each round is nice and tightly packed.

Step 2
Lightly bread the goat cheese. Place the flour, egg, and bread crumbs in separate bowls. Dip the goat cheese in the flour, fully coating each one, but shaking off excess. Then dip in the whipped egg, and finally, the bread crumbs.

Place each round on a clean plate, and refrigerate for at least an hour to make sure they stay together during the cooking process.

Step 3
Lightly fry the goat cheese. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil, and then place goat cheese rounds in the skillet.

Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown, and then flip to cook the other side. You can also use a tongs to fry the sides, by holding them up in the pan, one at a time. Remove to a clean plate.

Salad Ingredients:

• Salad Greens – You can use a mixture of your favorite salad greens – including green and red lettuce, spinach, kale, or whatever looks fresh in the store.
• Radishes – You’ll only need a couple radishes, sliced thin.
• Onion – I prefer red onion in this, but you could also use green.
• Almonds – I went with slivered almonds for a nice crunch, and toasted them until fragrant.
• Chicken – For some extra protein, I added some rotisserie chicken. You could also cook your own.
• Fruit – A combination of berries makes this salad pop with flavor. Fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are pictured below, but you could add strawberries as well.

To assemble salads:

1. Arrange the salad ingredients in individual bowls, making sure the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
2. Add the warm goat cheese on top.
3. Drizzle with the strawberry salad dressing.
4. Dig in!

Please let me know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue