Tuesday, January 28, 2014
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Barbecue Chicken Breast and Grilled Vegetable Salad
Barbecue Chicken Breast and Grilled Vegetable Salad
Here is a classic example of using up whatever happens to be available in the freezer and refrigerator without having any idea of what the result will be. It was late and I had no plan for dinner, but I was leaning in the direction of a dinner salad. It was also one of the first really summer like evenings we have had so far this Spring and, having just cleaned the grill, I wanted to put it to good use. I always have lettuce and standard salad fixings available because I have some form of a salad almost every night. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are also one of the basic items I always keep in the freezer because they are incredibly versatile and very quick to thaw. The only items not normally in the vegetable crisper is this beautiful baby zucchini and the tiny super sweet peppers. I saw them in the market recently and could not resist.
To create this dinner salad, I combined lettuce, cucumber, onion and cheese in a large mixing bowl and tossed it with dressing. I grilled the chicken breast, zucchini and sweet red peppers until the chicken was cooked through, about 10 minutes per side, and the vegetables until they were tender but still had some texture. I plated the salad greens first and topped them with the sliced chicken breast and grilled zucchini and sweet peppers.
A few quick tips. When the weather starts getting warm, keep you salad greens in the refrigerator until the last possible second, just before sitting down to eat. Even if you prepare the salad in advance, store the whole thing, bowl and all, right in the refrigerator. That way, your salad is sure to stay cold and crisp and not turn into a wilted luke warm pile of icky green leaves. Secondly, when grilling boneless skinless chicken breast, or any other type of chicken, turn down the heat. Grilling over too high of a flame will result in flare ups which will torch the outside of the chicken leaving it burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. A more moderate heat will ensure even cooking while still creating that great crust that we all love from grilled food. Finally, when grilling vegetables, I find it works best to keep the vegetables as whole as possible and, if necessary, cut them down after grilling. This reduces the chances that the vegetables will fall between the grates, will also ensure a more even cooking and prevent your vegetables from burning or over cooking and turning to mush.
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