Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Salad (Printable)
Tender chicken meets tangy sun-dried tomatoes and fresh vegetables in this satisfying Mediterranean-style salad.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (about 2 medium breasts)
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
04 - 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
05 - 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 4 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach, or romaine)
→ Dairy
07 - 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
→ Nuts
08 - 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional)
→ Dressing
09 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 - 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil (reserved from jar)
11 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
12 - 1 clove garlic, minced
13 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Step-by-step:
01 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomato oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until the dressing is fully emulsified. Set aside.
02 - In a large salad bowl, arrange the mixed greens and top with the shredded chicken, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, diced cucumber, and thinly sliced red onion.
03 - Drizzle the prepared vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - Scatter the crumbled feta cheese and toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds over the top of the salad.
05 - Serve immediately at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving for a chilled presentation.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dressing uses oil straight from the sun dried tomato jar, which means you get double the concentrated tomato flavor without any extra effort.
- It comes together in about thirty minutes and tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for an hour, making it the rare salad that actually works as make ahead lunch.
02 -
- Do not skip toasting the nuts because raw pine nuts added straight from the bag taste like nothing and浪费 the opportunity for a buttery crunch that elevates the entire dish.
- If you are making this more than two hours ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss it on right before serving, otherwise the greens will collapse into a soggy mess.
03 -
- The single best thing you can do is use the oil from the sun dried tomato jar instead of plain olive oil in the dressing, because it is already infused with herbs and garlic and tomato essence that would take you twenty minutes to build from scratch.
- Shred the chicken rather than cubing it if you want every single bite to carry flavor, because the shredded fibers hold onto dressing like tiny sponges.