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Monday, July 8, 2013

Italian Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken

I don't know about where you live.. but here... in the Arizona desert... it's HOT!  I mean really, really HOT!  It's cooled down just a tad over the last week... I mean it was 115 last week.. this week, only like 108... :)  Hey, we take what we can get, right?

Anyway.. with the heat comes my need for really light and very simple meals.  I can't eat a lot of heavy foods when it's hot... so, of course, I choose to make salads for dinner.  And to make it even less of a hassle, i.e. less mess and very simple, I grill the chicken, but you could easily pan sear it or bake it - that's totally up to you.  Heck, you could even buy cooked chicken and throw that on... I mean ease is nothing to stick your nose up at, that is for sure :)

Italian Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Taste of Home
- Serves 2 -
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 small grilled chicken breasts, chopped (I just drizzled a little olive oil on the chicken and seasoned with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning...grilled to perfection and chopped)
2-4 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped or torn
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped radish
1/2 cup cubed cheese (Mozzarella or Parmesan)
Fresh basil leaves, torn
For the dressing:
2 Tablespoons pesto
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:
To make the dressing - mix together the pesto, mayo and lemon juice until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  (You can double this if you want or even triple it... this made just the perfect amount of dressing for Chris and I, though)

To build the salad - in a large bowl or plate, add the lettuce.  Top evenly with tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, cheese and basil.  Top with chicken.  Drizzle on the dressing and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Cajun Spiced Grilled Shrimp with Remoulade
Two Years Ago:  Asian Meatball Subs with Hoisin Mayonnaise
Three Years Ago:  The Obsessive Chef's Homemade Tater Tots

7 comments:

Yenta Mary said...

It's perfect - bright, colorful, light, and almost effortless. I'm so sick of the rain - 'bout 3 weeks of it, now - that we have here, but it's still better than 115!

StephenC said...

Good to have you back in the blogosphere. Speaking of salads, I have a bag of hearts of romaine just crying out for a presentation like this.

Big Dude said...

Good sounding salad Jenn, but I'd have to be enjoying it in a cooler part of the country. No way could I live in such a hot area, especially when it's 90 at night.

Velva said...

Cold salads are the way to go with temps soaring above 100 degrees- Your version looks real good and can certainly be enjoyed in the cooler parts of the country too.

Stay cool.

Velva

Pam said...

It was 110 when I was in Idaho but luckily it was 80 when I got back home to Oregon.

The salad looks light and delicious Jenn - perfect for the hot weather.

Chris said...

That
is
too
************
hot!

Alexis has been asking for more salads, I could do one like this.

Lea Ann said...

We've been whining here. It's been hovering around 100 degrees. You're not going to believe this, I just made an Italian Salad. However, different than this.