We love salad in our house. A typical meal usually includes green salad as a side dish. But we also love doing main dish salads. And we often do a salad bar night where I put out a big bowl of greens, a gazillion different toppings, and a few dressings. Plus salad bar night always means there's a few good lunches to follow. But sometimes I don't want to have to do all the prep work to do salad bar night. I mean it's quite a bit of prepping and chopping (but well worth it if I'm up to the task). So, periodically I'll serve an assembled main dish salad.
Now, when I assemble a main dish salad, it always tastes better when I dress it before it's served. But if there's any leftovers, well, let's just say they're never very appetizing the next day. So, I though it was great that this recipe made just enough for the 4 adults at my house (but my family are big eaters, especially when it's something we love). So, I recommend that if your family doesn't normally have seconds or thirds of dinner, you might want to divide the salad and only dress half of it to begin with. Plus, then you could have a second meal for later in the week, if you play your cards right. Though there's nothing wrong with not having any leftovers.
Chicken, Asparagus, and Pita Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing
Salad:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned, woody ends removed, and in 1 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 cups pita chips (I used whole grain pita)
3 cups salad greens of choice
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cup water to boil. In a medium bowl, fill 2/3 full with ice and water. When water is boiling, add in asparagus and cook for 1-3 minutes (cooking time depends on thickness of asparagus spears). When asparagus has turned a vibrant green color, remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water. In a large salad bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss with dressing and serve.
For the dressing:
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and oregano. Mix well. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over salad.
Source: Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Now, when I assemble a main dish salad, it always tastes better when I dress it before it's served. But if there's any leftovers, well, let's just say they're never very appetizing the next day. So, I though it was great that this recipe made just enough for the 4 adults at my house (but my family are big eaters, especially when it's something we love). So, I recommend that if your family doesn't normally have seconds or thirds of dinner, you might want to divide the salad and only dress half of it to begin with. Plus, then you could have a second meal for later in the week, if you play your cards right. Though there's nothing wrong with not having any leftovers.
Chicken, Asparagus, and Pita Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing
Salad:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned, woody ends removed, and in 1 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 cups pita chips (I used whole grain pita)
3 cups salad greens of choice
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cup water to boil. In a medium bowl, fill 2/3 full with ice and water. When water is boiling, add in asparagus and cook for 1-3 minutes (cooking time depends on thickness of asparagus spears). When asparagus has turned a vibrant green color, remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water. In a large salad bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss with dressing and serve.
For the dressing:
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and oregano. Mix well. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over salad.
Source: Adapted from Sunset Magazine
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