The Unbeatable Chicken Salad

Back when I was a waitress at a family Italian restaurant I was constantly bombarded by misordered pizzas and hot bread sticks. I’m not going to lie, there are few things better in life than garlic butter smothered pizza dough fresh from the oven. They’re hard to turn down especially when they’re free. But they’re hard on the figure and it’s a bit difficult to welcome in new customers when you have vampire breath.

Let’s face it. Breadsticks have their limits. And while they can be phenomenal at the right time, when eaten in large quantities, they lose their buttery appeal. This is where I learned to appreciate chicken salad.

I remember a solid week when I had chicken salad every day for my lunch break at Taste of Tuscany and I’ll let you in on a secret, I never got tired of it even once. A good chicken salad is geyser in the desert. A plate of cold crisp mesclun leaves topped with a warm, but perfectly cooked chicken breast. A blanket of Italian dressing wraps in the salty, yet vinegary toppings. It’s always a good idea and it’s always refreshing. Truly there is nothing better.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been craving pizza (and all things carb-loaded, for that matter) and I’ve had a lot of moments of weakness. However crafting this chicken salad brought me back to the good Elimination Diet life. Summoning inspiration from one of my favorite people, I chose to adapt a recipe that he published in the April issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. I opted to subout tuna for free-range chicken because it’s a little sturdier. I also amped up with amount of greens and the zing in the dressing so it felt more like a salad as opposed to an antipasto. In the future I would double the vinaigrette recipe so I could have it on hand all the time.

 White Bean Chicken Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette adapted from the April 2012 issue of Bon Appétit

2 cups (packed) flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems)
¼ cup olive oil
2 lemons, juiced (reserved the zest of one)
1 tablespoon water
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Kosher salt and red pepper flake

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed, drained
3 celery stalks, sliced on an a diagonal
1 medium head of radicchio, torn up
1 bag of mesclun mix
Extra virgin coconut oil

Combine parsley, oil, lemon juice (only 1 ½ lemons), water, and garlic in a food processor until well incorporated. It should look like a thick puree. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place 1/3 of the vinaigrette in a container or plastic bag with two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Add the juice of the remaining lemon half and the zest. Shake and let marinate for two hours.

Place 1/3 of the vinaigrette in container or plastic bag with beans and sliced celery. Let marinate for two hours.

Tear up radicchio and mix in with the mesclun mix. Set aside. Heat a large skillet and coat with coconut oil. Add chicken and the marinade to the hot pan. Cook on high for one minute. Flip over and cook covered on low for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow at least five minutes to rest.

Serve with a generous helping of bean mixture and chicken on top of the mesclun mix. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

I served with a little quinoa on the side. Recipe to follow.