Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad

This Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad is a delicious and easy summer meal! Loaded with fresh summer blueberries and peaches, flavourful grilled turkey, and goat cheese, all drizzled with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette. So good.

I partnered with Canadian Turkey to bring you this delicious Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad recipe, and was compensated for my time, but the recipe, pictures, all thoughts and opinions are my own as always.  We really love turkey.

Turkey is such a great protein to substitute for other meats on the grill.  I like it because it’s lean, easy to grill, and is a nice change in dinner routines.  I always remind myself that turkey isn’t just for the holiday season.  Its mild flavour lends nicely to rubs, sauces and salad dressings all year round.  Turkey is especially delicious when grilled on the BBQ then added to a summer salad for a complete meal! This Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad is a perfect summer dish.

This salad is loaded with fresh summer blueberries and sliced peaches, fresh veggies, grilled turkey, crumbled goat cheese…all drizzled with a homemade blueberry balsamic dressing.  Colourful and bright summer flavours.

Reverse Sear Grilling Method for Turkey Breasts

Grilling turkey on the BBQ is so easy, and if you do it right, you will end up with the most tender, moist and delicious turkey!  We have grilled quite a few turkey breasts over the years and we really like method of grilling called reverse sear. The reverse sear method is the best way to cook thick cuts of meat evenly.  The idea being to cook both the interior and exterior of the meat perfectly without drying it out, which is perfect for turkey breasts which are thick cuts.  I’m sharing how to do this in the recipe card below.

Because the salad dressing has quite bold flavours, I wanted to keep the seasoning of the turkey simple, yet full of flavour.  I added a dry rub of salt (about 1 tsp) to the turkey breast and let it rest for about 4 hours in the fridge.  When it was time to grill, all the turkey needed was to be seasoned with fresh black pepper.

The result of the dry rub and the reverse sear is a tender and SUPER tasty turkey breast ready to be added to a fresh summer salad.

Blueberry Balsamic Salad Dressing

When I’m creating salads I always like to use ingredients that are in season, and right now it’s all about blueberries.  Fresh delicious blueberries. And it just so happens that blueberries pair perfectly with turkey, so I whipped up a quick blueberry balsamic dressing.  Just 5 simple ingredients…fresh blueberries, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey and pepper.

So good.

Salad Serving Ideas

You can toss this salad together before serving, but I really like the look of it when each ingredient is separated out. Then when it’s time to eat, everyone can scoop out what they like.  Or better yet, if you want to make things even easier, serve all of the ingredients in separate dishes and let everyone assemble their own salads.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as we do!

Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad

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This Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Turkey Salad is a delicious and easy summer meal! Loaded with fresh summer blueberries and peaches, flavourful grilled turkey, and goat cheese, all drizzled with a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette. So good.

• Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
• Prep Time: 120 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

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Grilled Turkey Breast:

• 1 turkey breast (approximately 2 lbs)
• ~ 1 tsp salt for the dry rub
• fresh ground pepper

Blueberry Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1/2 cup or more of fresh blueberries
• 1 peach (sliced)
• 2 tbsp sliced red onion
• sliced sweet peppers
• spiralized butternut squash (optional)
• goat cheese

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Instructions

Prepare the Turkey Breast:

1. For an extra moist and flavourful grilled turkey breast, I like to add a dry brine.  To do this sprinkle the meat with the 1 tsp of salt.  Let it rest in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.

Making the Blueberry Vinaigrette:

1. Using a hand blender or food processor, combine all of the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Set aside.

Grilling the Turkey Breast:

1. You will need a good instant read thermometer.
2. After the turkey has had time to rest in the dry salt brine, preheat your BBQ to 225 – 250 degrees.
3. Season the turkey with fresh ground pepper.
4. You want to roast the turkey over indirect heat, so add the turkey to a top rack in your barbecue.  Let it sit and cook until the internal temperature is 150 degrees.
5. Then quickly take the meat off of the grill, turn up the heat in your barbecue to high, keep the lid open, and give the turkey breast a quick sear on both sides.  Flipping the breast multiple times, searing it until it has a nice crust…this part should only take 5 minutes.  The final internal temperature should measure 165 degrees.
6. When the turkey is done, remove from heat and let rest under tin foil for a couple of minutes.

Assembling the Salad:

1. While the turkey is grilling, you can begin to assemble the fresh salad ingredients.
2. Wash and dry the butter lettuce and fresh blueberries. Slice the peach, red onions and sweet peppers.
3. Then assemble everything is a large salad bowl.

Putting it all together:

1. When it is time to serve the grilled turkey, cut the turkey into 3/4 inch slices, cut against the grain.  Then lay it on your assembled salad.
2. Crumble on the goat cheese.
3. Drizzle with the blueberry balsamic dressing.
4. Serve with fresh bread and enjoy!

Keywords: blueberry vinaigrette, grilled turkey, salad, turkey salad

11 Ways To Build Big Flavour With Turkey On The Grill:

1. Learn to use direct and indirect heat. Direct heat works best to sear turkey, develop savoury crusts on your cuts, create flavourful grill marks, and cook smaller or thinner cuts of meat quickly. Indirect heat works for larger cuts of meat that need to cook low and slow, coaxing out flavours while keeping cuts moist and tender.
2. Smoke and sizzle mean big flavour! Use the barbeque to brown your turkey and create caramelization that adds big, bold flavour and keeps your meat juicy and tender. Smoke adds that unique and special BBQ taste, allowing you to cut down on salt, sugar and fat.
3. Preheat your grill to hot so that food will sear on contact. Searing will lock in those flavourful juices and help to avoid sticking which can lead to charring. Make sure to season your meat first, so that the sear will create a flavour-packed crust.
4. Use dry and wet rubs to season your turkey cuts. Turkey marries well with a wide variety of herbs and spices, so feel free to experiment with your favourite combinations to enhance taste and texture.
5. Know when your meat is done! Use a meat thermometer to check doneness and avoid overcooking or undercooking your turkey.
6. Leave it alone! When cooking over indirect heat, leave your turkey cuts alone without turning or flipping very often to allow for even cooking and browning.
7. Cook your entire meal on the BBQ – appetizers, side dishes, vegetables and even desserts can be cooked over the grill. Cooking entire meals on the grill will give you juicy meat and tasty vegetables. Grilling locks in moisture and adds natural smoky flavour, cutting down on the need for extra fat, salt and sugary sauces. Visit thinkturkey.ca to explore a library of amazing grilled turkey recipes!
8. Marinate your cuts to add big flavour and help to keep your turkey moist and juicy. Infuse flavour into your meats by marinating with healthy fats like olive oil, and adding citrus, beer, wine or vinegar and fresh herbs, spices and rubs.
9. Prep your turkey meat for the grill. Remove from the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before cooking to allow the meat to come to room temperature. Dry the meat off with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. This will promote an even sear and avoid steaming the meat.
10. Be patient and take the time to preheat your bbq for the best results.
11. Don’t crowd the meat! When grilling your turkey, leave space between the turkey pieces to promote even heat circulation and ensure consistent cooking.

Canadian Turkey Recipes, Tips and Nutrition:

Visit CanadianTurkey.ca for tips, tricks, techniques and recipe inspiration! Find recipes that are great for make-ahead-meals and batch cooking, recipes that are perfect for leftovers, as well as ideas for snacks, breakfast and 30-minute main dishes. And don’t forget all the delicious grilling recipes!  You can also find information on turkey nutrition, how to cook turkey and more.  And follow Canadian Turkey on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube!

Have a delicious day!