Tag: summer salad recipe

Aromatic Grilled Chicken Panzanella Salad

Aromatic Grilled Chicken Panzanella Salad

Thank you to NatureRaised Foods for sponsoring this article. Learn how NatureRaised Foods is “Doing What’s Right, Right from the Start™” in your area.

It’s as if the grill beckons me once the hotter temperatures start to set in. As you know, I love cooking but am not always up for being in the HOT kitchen during these scorching summer months. With that being said I want to spend less time inside and more time outside. I start to dream up meals that could be prepared on the grill with very little prep inside the house. Yet, I don’t want to just throw anything on the grill, I still want my meal to be wholesome and nutritious.  Majority of the time I want tasty grilled chicken, and NatureRaised Farms® brand chicken makes that part easy…..  They are accountable when needing to feed my family something that is right, right from the start.  Here’s an important side note….  They do not add antibiotics ever, in fact their chickens are fed a 100% vegetarian diet (no animal protein and no bakery by-products), with no added hormones or steroids. I like knowing that and thought you would like knowing that too. No wonder it tastes so good…. It’s 100% all-natural. Okay, I’ll stop with all the scientific part of it and get back to my grilling and chicken love.

One of my all time favorite dishes to make on the grill is chicken panzanella salad. I always start it the night before when the kitchen is nice and cool. I whip together a little marinade drop it in a bowl with my chicken and let it stand over night. Then I chop all my veggies and place then in another bowl and place them in the fridge till I’m ready to eat the next day. It’s so easy. The next day I grill my chicken (depending on my mood, I’ll either use breasts or if I want some dark meat I’ll use thighs) and couple slices of bread. Chop both the chicken and bread, then add it into the veggies. Crumble some feta on top and give it a splash of salad dressing and there you have it….. one of the best salads I know how to make in a matter of minutes. The best part is…. It’s super fresh, yet filling with the bread, and hearty with the grilled chicken. It’s almost like having a deconstructed chicken sandwich but with way more veggies in it. Plus it’s a meal in itself…. No need for anything else on the plate.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Panzenella Salad:

  • 1 – package NatureRaised Farms® chicken (either breasts or thighs)
  • 2 – tablespoons brown mustard
  • ½ – cup white wine
  • ½ – onion (sliced into big pieces)
  • 3 – tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 – tablespoon chopped garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 – hothouse cucumber (cut into ¼ of an inch slices)
  • 1 – pint cherry tomatoes (I use both yellow and red) (cut in half)
  • 1 – red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
  • 1 – yellow bell pepper (sliced into strips)
  • 1 – red onion (sliced thinly)
  • 1 – bunch of asparagus (blanched and chopped into 1 to 2 inch pieces)
  • 1 – French bread loaf or mini sourdough loaf (grilled and cubed)
  • 5 – leaves fresh basil (chopped)
  • 5 – ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • ½ – cup Italian dressing

 

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl add chicken, brown mustard, white wine, onion, olive oil, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to your liking. Place in the fridge over night to marinade. 
  2. In another bowl add cucumber, cherry tomato halves, sliced red and yellow bell pepper, red onion, and asparagus. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge over night.  
  3. When ready to eat slice up the bread and lightly brush with olive oil then place on a hot grill / bar-b-que and grill on each side until crisp, toasty, and golden. Then remove from the grill and set to the side.
  4. Then grill the chicken on both sides until fully cooked. About 7 to 8 minutes on both sides. Then remove from the grill and chop up into 2-inch cubes. Add to the bowl of vegetables.  
  5. Then chop up the grilled bread and add to the vegetables and chicken bowl.
  6. Then top the whole bowl off by adding in basil, feta cheese, and Italian dressing.
  7. Mix the salad to fully incorporate all ingredients, and place salad back in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow bread to soak up some of the dressing and for all flavors to mix.
  8. Serve with your favorite beverage and you’ve got a complete meal.
  9. Enjoy!

Thank you NatureRaised Foods and Technorati for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.