Harvest Chicken Salad
I’m back! Sorry for the break, but it’s amazing what a trip to Disneyland and a work-intensive Halloween costume can do to derail a blog. Luckily, we ate well enough that I didn’t miss Buttery Basics too much!
But after that Disneyland trip, I could definitely use a salad. Hence this gorgeous harvest chicken salad.
I think that the best salads are the ones that don’t taste like salads( like this one). This salad’s vegetables are tossed with herbs, caramelized, and covered in a lovely honey balsamic dressing. This salad still has greens, but I chose to use butter lettuce. If you’re not familiar with butter lettuce, it has a mild flavor and a soft mouthfeel. It feels like a small and cherished luxury to me, but romaine lettuce or spinach would be equally yummy.
With the butternut squash, Honeycrisp apple, and honey balsamic dressing, this harvest chicken salad feels like the best of fall all rolled into one filling, healthy delight. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For harvest chicken salad:
- 4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 1/8 cup salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 6 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 head butter lettuce (or romaine or spinach)
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, diced
For honey balsamic dressing:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 heaping tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon mustard
Instructions
Begin by brining the chicken. Place your chicken in a large bowl, add the salt, and cover with water. Cover the bowl and set aside for fifteen minutes. When the time is up, remove the chicken, pat with a paper towel to dry, and bake on a sheet pan at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until done.
Next, prepare the butternut squash by placing it in a large bowl and covering with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Toss to coat. Bake on a sheet pan at 425 F for 40-50 minutes, or until soft and slightly caramelized.
In the meantime, make your honey balsamic dressing by whisking all ingredients together.
When your chicken and squash are done, assemble the salad by heaping everything together and drizzling on the dressing (in an aesthetically pleasing way, of course). Enjoy!
