There are many versions of chicken salad to explore - Chinese, Spicy Mexican, Hawaiian, BBQ - all of them offering a vast array of spices or exotic fruits, but sometimes you just crave that good old homestyle feeling, that which invokes the simplicity of real ingredients that are familiar to you.
Imagine going out into a backyard herb garden, inhaling the scent of basil and parsley, reaching down to harvest a head of lettuce, and plucking tomato after tomato before you head back to the kitchen to prepare your garden goods. You can practice this at the store too; it only costs your imagination.
In order to make this salad come alive, you are going to want to create an aromatic dressing. This takes herbs, the juice from half a lemon, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and half a cup of olive oil.
Go for the extra-virgin olive oil every time; we know it is the most expensive, but it is worth every penny as it has the highest polyphenol content - and when you use it raw, as in a salad dressing, you are consuming quality fat right down to the last drop.
You will clearly need a drink to wash this simple yet delicious salad down, so why not stick with the homestyle theme and revel in the simplicity of fresh lemonade with thyme or a lemon-mint iced tea?
If you have organic lemons on hand, feel free to add some zest to the dressing as well, your digestion will thank you for it!
Chicken Salad With Herb Dressing Recipe
Serves: 4 Prep: 35 min Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 4 cups romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Paleo cooking fat
Fresh Herb Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice from half lemon
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
- 2 tsp. fresh basil, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients for the simple dressing. Whisk until well emulsified and season to taste.
- Pour half of the dressing over the chicken breasts, and let marinade for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Melt the cooking fat and sear chicken breasts in the skillet.
- Cook until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes per side, and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes.
- In a salad bowl, combine romaine lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. Toss everything gently.
- Slice the chicken breasts, and serve on top of the salad, drizzle with the remaining dressing.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad With Herb Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 4 cups romaine lettuce leaves chopped
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup grape tomatoes halved
- ½ red onion sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- Paleo cooking fat
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice from half lemon
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley minced
- 2 tsp. fresh basil minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet or a rolling pin.1 lb. chicken breasts
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients for the simple dressing. Whisk until well emulsified and season to taste.½ cup extra virgin olive oil, Juice from half lemon, 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, 2 tsp. fresh basil, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 2 garlic cloves, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pour half of the dressing over the chicken breasts, and let marinade for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Melt the cooking fat and sear chicken breasts in the skillet.Paleo cooking fat, 1 lb. chicken breasts
- Cook until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes per side, and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes.
- In a salad bowl, combine romaine lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. Toss everything gently.4 cups romaine lettuce leaves, 1 cucumber, 1 red bell pepper, ½ cup grape tomatoes, ½ red onion, 1 avocado
- Slice the chicken breasts, and serve on top of the salad, drizzle with the remaining dressing.
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