Chicken Salad

Miso Glazed Chicken Salad with Quinoa

Miso Glazed Chicken Salad.jpg

Makes 4 servings.

Wholesome and nutritious, this salad can be made even more wholesome by adding a variety of steamed vegetables, such as Haricots Verts, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. The quinoa adds a bit of texture.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each

  • Hearts of romaine lettuce, about 16 leaves, torn to manageable pieces.

QUINOA:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted margarine

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1¼ cups water

  • 1 cup quinoa

MISO GLAZE:  

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons white miso paste

  • 2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine.)

  • ½ teaspoon salt

DRESSING:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¾ tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, approx

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. In a small saucepan bring to a boil, over high heat, the margarine, salt and water. Sprinkle over the quinoa, lower the heat, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the grains are tender Stir with a fork to fluff the grains. If the grains are not tender, add a tablespoon of hot water and continue cooking. Cool.

  2. In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the MISO GLAZE.

  3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and coat well with the miso glaze. Place in a glass or nonreactive dish. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

  4. Whisk together the ingredients for the DRESSING and set aside.

  5. Preheat the broiler.

  6. Bring the chicken back to room temperature.

  7. Cover the whole broiling pan, which comes with most ovens, with heavy foil. Then form a “shallow basket” with a piece of heavy foil, crimping it at the corners so that the juices do not spill out.

  8. Place the chicken skin side down (where the skin would have been) in the basket and broil as close to the heat as possible for 5 minutes. Turn over and broil for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be slightly pink on the inside.

  9. Remove from the oven, cover the chicken with foil and let rest for 1 minute.

  10. When the chicken is cool, cut it into wide strips.

TO SERVE:

Toss the quinoa and the greens with the dressing and top with the chicken.

If you are adding vegetables, toss it all together

 
 

Cauliflower and Chicken Salad

Makes 4-6 servings.

This is definitely a non-traditional chicken salad. I like it because it has so few ingredients and those ingredients complement each other. It is simple to make, it is nutritious and by serving the dressing on the side you can gauge how much or little you like. Both the chicken and the cauliflower have a distinct flavor.    

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • Leaves from 10 tarragon sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons water.
  • Arugula or a mixture of different greens 

DRESSING:

  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Preheat oven to 450F.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Place the chicken skin side down (where the skin would have been) in an oven-proof dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season lightly with salt and pepper and scatter leaves from 5 tarragon sprigs.
  3. Cut the stalk and leaves off the cauliflower and discard. Cut the head into small florets and rinse. Place the cauliflower in an ovenproof dish, salt and pepper lightly, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water. Scatter the remaining tarragon leaves.  
  4. Place the chicken and the cauliflower in the oven, side by side.
  5. Roast the chicken for about 12, minutes, turning it once. The chicken should be pink on the inside. Take it out of the oven and cover it with foil; it will continue cooking. Remove the foil after a few minutes, let the chicken cool completely and cut it into 1 inch strips.
  6. Roast the cauliflower for about 30 minutes; turning it once. It should be almost soft.  Let it cool as well.     

TO MAKE THE DRESSING:

  1. Coursely chop the garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle with the salt and crush it with a knife until it becomes a paste.
  2. Place in a small dish and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
  3. Pour into a sauce dish.

TO SERVE:

Place the greens into a large bowl. Top with the cauliflower and the chicken with the accumulated juices. Serve the dressing on the side.

You can also pre-plate the salad.