A dear friend of mine just so happens to be a chef (lucky me!) and shared this delicious Summer-inspired salad recipe with us. Before reading below, I have two notes: 1) I would absolutely make extra portions of this salad (for the cooked items at least) to save for a quick, assemble-and-eat option if you need it. 2) All measurements are approximate - there’s lots of room to customize this salad to your liking. Thank you so much Christine for this yummy recipe!!
~ Nicoise Salad with a California Twist ~
This is based on a salad large enough for three hungry adults. So you can adjust accordingly!
3 Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
15 (or one small bag) Fingerling Potatoes
10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
½ C Olives
20 Haricot Verts
Avocado, cubed
2 T Capers
½ Shallot, finely diced
Greens - any fresh lettuce but I prefer a blend of butter and a bitter like radicchio
2 T Dill
2 T Parsley
1 Lemon
2 T Red wine vinegar
5 T Olive oil (4 for the dressing and 1 for the chicken marinade)
3 Cloves garlic
1 T Dijon
1 Dollop of honey
Salt - preference
Pepper - preference
Start by marinating the chicken. Grate two cloves of garlic and zest a whole lemon into a bowl. Add a tablespoon of olive oil as well as the juice of the lemon. Cover with cling wrap and let marinate in the fridge - for as much time as you have, even if it’s just while you chop everything else.
In a pot, place the potatoes in salted water and bring to a boil for about 6 mins. Give a potato a poke with a fork or knife. Once the utensil can move easily through it, it’s done. BUT don't toss the water yet. Turn off the heat, and throw a large handful (per person that you’re serving) of the haricot verts into the potato water for one minute before placing in an ice bath.
Let those cool down. And bring a skillet to medium high heat. Don't add oil until you're ready to sear to prevent it from burning. Then sear the chicken breasts. Because they are thinly sliced, they will cook quickly (yay!) Sear the first side for 6 minutes and the second side for 4.
Ok, that’s the bulk of the work. Now you just make the dressing and assemble the salad. The dressing is: diced shallots, grated clove of garlic, a splash of maple syrup or dollop of honey, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and four of olive oil (I'm not precious with these measurements so make it to your liking) and a tablespoon of dijon... all in a jar with a lid or whisk away until emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste. Then add your cleaned greens, potatoes, haricot verts, olives, tomatoes, parsley, capers, dill, avocado and sliced chicken. It's got everything you need in one big bowl.
Enjoy!
You can find Chef Christine, including her Daley Delivery service here.
