May 16, 2012
Mondays are for roasting chickens in my house. Most of the time it’s a whole chicken (sometimes just the breasts — see my quick recipe below). I’ll roast on Mondays and we have it for dinner that night. The rest is “featured again” later in the week (don’t tell my husband — he hates leftovers). Often, round two of the roast chicken becomes taco night or quesadillas con pollo, but if there’s enough I’ll make chicken salad.
I love chicken salad. It’s pure comfort food– a surge of protein with a mayo chaser, what’s not to love? Here’s my latest take on this classic, inspired by the green spring onions and basil in my garden. The Mediterranean twist is so satisfying, fresh, light and totally delicious. I’m hosting a luncheon here soon and you can be sure this will be on the menu.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Salad:
2 cups roasted chicken breast (see below for recipe)
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/8 cup chopped basil
Dressing:
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon red chili flake
1/2 tsp salt
Garnish:
Sea salt
Small basil leaves
Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl and combine it with the salad ingredients. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Right before serving garnish with a sprinkle of sea salt and some small basil leaves.
Easy Roasted Chicken Breasts
I love the flavor of these chicken breasts. For chicken salad I bake the breasts with the skin on. When they are cooked through I peel the skin off and then pull the meat off the bone. The result is super succulent meat that is tasty and easy to dice.
Preheat oven to 375
2-4 chicken breasts split with skin and bones
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper
Place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and splash olive oil on each of the pieces — cover evenly. Then sprinkle your desired amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Roast for 40 minutes.
Note: I usually roast 4 breasts at a time so I have leftovers. Two breasts will yield what you will need for the chicken salad.
