Chicken & White Bean Salad
Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. You can serve it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work.
Vinaigrette :
- 1 medium clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salad :
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 2½ cups diced cooked chicken breast (see Tips)
- 2 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash (about 2 small)
- 1½ cups diced celery
- ¼ cup finely diced ricotta salata, halloumi (see Tips) or feta cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped, well-drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus whole basil leaves for garnish
- Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)
- 2 cups torn escarole or romaine lettuce
- 2 cups torn radicchio leaves
Instructions
Preparation :
To prepare vinaigrette: Peel the garlic and smash with the side of a chef's knife. Using a fork, mash the garlic with ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in up to 4 tablespoons more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.
To prepare salad: Combine beans, chicken, zucchini (and/or summer squash), celery, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) in a large bowl until well blended. Add chopped basil and ¾ cup vinaigrette; toss until combined. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper, if desired.
Toss the remaining vinaigrette with escarole (or romaine) and radicchio in a medium bowl. Serve the salad on the greens, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2 (omitting basil), cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Stir in chopped basil just before serving.
To poach chicken breasts, place about 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes.
Ricotta salata and halloumi are both firm, salted cheeses that can be found at large supermarkets and cheese shops.
Nutrition information
