Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken

Servings: 6

 

Ingredients:

  • *1⁄2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1⁄2 Cup Sugar
  • 1 TBSP Bistro Blend
  • 1⁄2 Cup Olive Oil
  • **3 Chicken Breasts
  • 1 TBSP Poppy Seeds
  • 1 lb Strawberries, stemmed and quartered
  • 5 oz Baby Spinach
  • 1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, rough chopped
  • 1⁄2 Cup Sliced Almonds
  • 2 tsp Kosher Salt

 

***Optional: 1⁄2 Cup Pickled Red Onions

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Grilled Chicken

Notes* **If the breasts are thick, slice them in half vertically to make cutlets. **The vinaigrette will double as the marinade. You make the dressing first and then separate it out for the chicken as a marinade and leave the remaining for the dressing. You will NOT use the marinade as dressing as it will have raw chicken in it. Never use marinade for anything other than marinating your proteins and discarding afterwards. ***To quick pickle red onions, microwave 1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar and 1⁄3 cup sugar for 90 seconds. Toss thinly sliced, small red onion into hot mixture and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Place in small mason jar and refrigerate.

Instructions

Step 1:

In a medium bowl, add vinegar, sugar and Bistro Blend. Begin whisking and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

Step 2:

Remove 1⁄2 cup of mixture and pour over chicken breasts. Cover and allow to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. If 

breasts are not immersed, be sure to turn them halfway through.

Step 3:

Meanwhile, lightly toast the poppy seeds in a small skillet over medium heat. Gently swirl the seeds until they are fragrant and darken slightly in color (about 3-4 minutes). Add the poppy seeds to the remaining dressing.

Step 4:

Add the dressing to a small mason jar and shake vigorously.

Step 5:

Combine the baby spinach, romaine lettuce, strawberries in a salad bowl.

Step 6:

For the chicken, season with 2 tsp Kosher salt. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade.

Step 7:

Place the chicken onto the hot pan and allow to cook on high for 2-3 minutes. Slightly lower heat and cook an additional 1-2 minutes on one side.

Step 8:

Flip the chicken and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. The sugars in the marinade will cause the chicken to caramelize quickly so you may flip chicken a few more times until it is cooked through.

Step 9:

Remove from heat and slice thinly.

Step 10:

Toss half the dressing with the salad. Top with grilled chicken, almonds and red onions (if using) and drizzle remaining dressing on top.