This is one of our favorite summer time salads. Since you flatten the chicken it cooks very quickly and has tons of flavor from the whole grain mustard….mmmmmm…
(serves 6)
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar (I use date sugar)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
FOR THE CHICKEN SALAD
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, ends removed
3/4 pound fresh snap peas
extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons whole grain mustard
10 ounces mixed baby greens
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and julienned lengthwise
4 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1 small cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
Preparation Instructions
To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil and tarragon, in a blender. Blend until completely combined. Then with the blender running on low, remove the center piece from the lid and slowly drizzle the olive oil in to form an emulsion. Add the tarragon and pulse a couple times to combine. Place the dressing in the fridge until needed.
Next prepare a bowl of ice water. Then fill a 3-4 quart saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil, add two teaspoons salt and the asparagus. Cook until bright green and no longer raw, about 3-4 minutes then using a slotted spoon remove from water and place in the ice water. Let cool about 2 minutes and then remove and cut into 2″ pieces. Add the snap peas and repeat the same process. But don’t cut up the peas 🙂
Preheat the oven to 250º.
Combine all the veggies in a large salad bowl and set aside.
Then, using a sharp knife carefully slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally leaving about 1/2″ on the other side connected. Open the breast up like a book and place between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap (I actually used a silpat for the first time for this and it worked great) and pound thin with meat mallet (I don’t have a mallet so I just use my rolling pin). Pound to about 1/8″ thick (you can see in the picture I got lazy and didn’t pound mine down quite that thin this time but it worked fine so don’t worry if you have trouble getting it that thin). Repeat with remaining breasts, then heat a medium saute pan to medium high and coat with extra virgin olive oil.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and smear a tablespoon of whole grain mustard on one side, saute one at a time until browned on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven to keep warm and repeat with remaining breasts until they are all cooked.
OR make it super easy and just grill them 🙂 – yummy!
To serve, place a chicken breast on a plate and top with salad and drizzle with some of the dressing and salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe from Nordstrom’s Entertaining at Home cookbook
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