welcoming spring with mediterranean grilled chicken salad
Friday, March 13, 2009 at 08:09PM 
When the weather starts to warm up, I invariably start to eat a little lighter, not to lose weight, which is always a plus, but because it feels right. I discovered this salad the other night after coming across a cod recipe that called for shallots, olives, tomatoes, and capers. I took that simple combination of ingredients and added grilled chicken, mixed greens, and toasted pine nuts. The results? An incredibly flavorful and light dinner that I could happily chow down every night of the week.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
Serves 2
3 cups of mixed greens
2 chicken breasts
1/8 cup toasted pine nutsMediterranean salsa
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon diced shallots
1-1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped oil-cured olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, thyme, or basil
1 tablespoon balsamic
Salad dressing
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
If cooking indoors, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Preheat a grill pan over a medium flame until hot. Season chicken with salt pepper and olive oil and cook in the grill pan on one side for 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and put the pan in the oven. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 12 – 14 minutes depending on the thickness of the breast. When the chicken has finished cooking, slice in ½-1 inch thick slices and set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, add the olive oil to a pan and heat until hot. Add shallots and simmer for about a minute. Add tomatoes and simmer for another minute. Add the olives, capers, fresh oregano, and balsamic. Toss the greens with the salad dressing. Top with slices of chicken and toasted pine nuts.
Reader Comments (3)
Wow Angela, this is really is the ultimate chicken salad. It's so perfect to welcome the spring season.
Cheers,
elra
Thanks, Elra! It's amazing that it can taste so good and so rich with no cheese, though if you wanted to make it richer, you could add goat cheese and it would be terrific.
This is a gorgeous looking salad!