Now that we are into the Summer season, I find that
I want my dinners to be lighter and not require very much oven time, but
still need to make sure I don't find myself staring into my refrigerator
a few hours later because I am still hungry! I came across the original
recipe for this salad while perusing Epicurious for Summer Salads/Main
Course Salads. I loved making it as much as I did eating it, so wanted
to share it! For those of you who like to do things by the book, here is the link to the recipe! I decided I was less interested in making the
Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs, that the recipe calls for, and instead
snagged a rotisserie chicken on my way out of the grocery store. And
also, instead of searching for butter lettuce, I used the romaine that I
already had. For a single girl with a busy week it is usually better to
figure out a more realistic way to prepare dinner! So, here is my version:
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3
tbsps Spicy Brown Mustard (Use Dijon like it calls for if you have it,
this is just what I had in the refrigerator. I think it made for a great
substitute though!)
couple of pinches of Dill (I didn't have fresh, but felt that dried was just as tasty)
2 tbsps honey
1
garlic clove, minced, aka, a small spoonful of the minced garlic in a
jar (i love garlic, you may not, add as much as you prefer)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt & pepper
—whisk
all of the ingredients together and set aside. This made more than I
needed for my salad, but it is so good you may want to make a bigger
batch and store in the refrigerator for future salads!
Croutons:
Olive Oil
Baquette
Kosher Salt
—The
original recipe called for pan-frying in the leftover chicken fat.
Again, no doubt that tastes amazing, but to keep it a bit more healthy
and because I was not making the chicken portion, I stuck with good ole
olive oil. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a pan. Slice the baquette
in a few slices that are roughly an inch thick. Cube the slices down
into bite-sized pieces. I got about 6 out of each slice. Pan-fry until
browned on the majority of the sides. Season with salt and set aside on a
paper towels to drain.
To prepare:
Chopped Romaine
Chopped/Shredded Chicken
Cherries
Croutons
Dressing
Combine
the chopped romaine, chicken, and cherries. If you don't have a fancy
cherry pitter, just take a knife and cut close to the pit and then you
can wedge the pit out. The final result of the cherries in the salad is
to be crushed so keeping them perfect is not necessary. Toss in the
croutons and the dressing and you are done!