Description
Crisp Mediterranean chicken salad brings zesty Mediterranean flavors to your plate with juicy grilled chicken nestled among fresh greens and tangy feta. Drizzled with herbed olive oil and sprinkled with kalamata olives, you’ll savor each refreshing bite of this light yet satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 ½-inch chunks
- 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken meat
Vegetables and Extras:
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 to 6 green olives, pitted and minced
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ½ to 1 apple, cored and chopped
- ⅓ head iceberg lettuce, sliced and chopped
Dressing:
- 5 tablespoons (75 milliliters) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) plum preserves or any sweet berry preserve
- 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare a generously salted water bath in a deep pot, bringing it to a rolling boil for poaching chicken breast chunks.
- Submerge chicken pieces into the hot liquid, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, then immediately remove from heat and cover the pot.
- Allow chicken to cook slowly in the residual warmth for approximately 15 minutes, ensuring tender and moist meat.
- Create a vibrant dressing by whisking together tangy mayonnaise, sweet preserves, and zesty lemon juice in a spacious mixing bowl.
- Fine-tune the dressing’s flavor profile by carefully adjusting seasoning with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Incorporate a colorful medley of crisp vegetables and fruits: diced celery, vibrant bell peppers, briny olives, sharp red onion, and sweet apple chunks into the creamy dressing.
- Extract poached chicken from its cooking liquid, allowing it to cool briefly before meticulously dicing into bite-sized pieces.
- Gently fold the diced chicken into the dressed vegetable mixture, ensuring even distribution of flavors and textures.
- When ready to serve, delicately integrate fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce, torn or chopped, to maintain its crunch and provide a refreshing base for the salad.
Notes
- Perfectly poach chicken by using well-salted water and gentle heat to keep the meat tender and juicy.
- Create a balanced dressing that combines creamy mayonnaise with sweet preserves and bright lemon juice for complex flavor profiles.
- Chop vegetables and fruits uniformly to ensure each bite has a consistent texture and balanced taste.
- Chill the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld and develop deeper complexity.
- Serve immediately after adding lettuce to maintain its crisp texture and prevent wilting.
- Customize the recipe by experimenting with different fruits, nuts, or herbs to match personal taste preferences.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Poaching
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg