August Chicken Salad …
Late summer, yellow sun, intense flavours … I wanted a light summer salad, crunchy but also a bit creamy with a bitter-sweet after-taste (too much complex words here :)… ). Let me ask you a late summer question - who does’t like the baked peppers smell (or even better grilled peppers on fire) ? :) And another question - do you like baked tomatoes with a touch of olive oil and a bit of parmesan cheese ? If yes :) …
Anyway at this time of year you can find delicious ripe tomatoes and sweet red peppers on local markets and make a tasty salad with seasonal ingredients …
For this salad I combined fresh crunchy lettuce with baked red peppers, baked tomatoes and grilled chicken breast. Dressing ? … Olive oil, lemon and a pinch of sea salt … And of course some balsamic vinegar for the fans :) …
INGREDIENTS - for 2 persons
Organic / Best you can get tomatoes - 300 grams
Organic / Best you can get red peppers - 300 grams
Organic / Best you can get chicken breast - 200 grams
Organic / Best you can get fresh lettuce - 200 grams
Best you can get parmesan cheese - 30 grams
Good quality extra virgin olive oil - 10 ml
A pinch of salt
For the dressing
Good quality extra virgin olive oil - 15 ml
Fresh lemon juice - 10 ml (or squeeze half of a lemon)
Best you can get balsamic vinegar - 5 ml (optional)
A pinch of salt
The steps
Wash the lettuce leaves and let them dry.
Bake the red peppers or cook them on a grill pan ( or outside on a fire grill and spread the smell in the neighbourhood :) … ). Put them in a large bowl, sprinkle them with salt and let them rest for 15 minutes with a lid over
Peel the peppers and cut them is fine slices ( but not very thin)
Cut the chicken breast in thin slices, sprinkle with salt and prepare it on a grill pan ( or you can bake a bigger piece in the oven if you find it more convenient ). Note that if you have chicken leftovers this is a good occasion to use it … And don’t laugh out loud about this but I think that many famous salads are made with delicious leftovers :) Final part here - cut the cooked chicken breast in medium dice pieces …
Cut the tomatoes in round slices (about 1 cm thick), drizzle them with olive oil and bake them ( I used a medium tray with baking paper on the bottom ) for about 20-25 minutes at 200 C with ventilation. When you take them out of the oven sprinkle over some fresh grated parmesan …
Assembly the salad. Start by arranging the lettuce on the bottom of a plate or a bowl. Then place over the tomatoes. Next place the baked peppers and the chicken breast and sprinkle over a bit of fresh grated parmesan. A pinch of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, a generous lemon squeeze and few drops of balsamic vinegar if you consider … and the salad is ready
Enjoy !
