Grilled Chicken Salad with Burst Tomatoes, Spiralized Broccoli, and Pesto Vinaigrette
Finally, a delicious use for broccoli stems, which happen to be just as nutritionally dense as the florets—supplying you with bone-supporting calcium and vitamin K, and immune-boosting vitamin C.
Finally, a delicious use for broccoli stems, which happen to be just as nutritionally dense as the florets—supplying you with bone-supporting calcium and vitamin K, and immune-boosting vitamin C.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups tightly packed basil
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp pine nuts
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1½ tsp garlic powder, divided
- Parchment paper
- 1 large broccoli stem (at least 1.5 inches in diameter), trimmed
- 4 tbsp slivered almonds
- 4 (1½ lbs total) organic chicken cutlets (thinly sliced, boneless chicken breasts)
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 lemon, sliced into 4 wedges
- 6–8 cups chopped endive lettuce (or other fresh summer greens)
- 4 sweet yellow peppers, thinly sliced into rounds
Preparation
1. In a food processor, pulse basil, 3 tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, pine nuts, and garlic until smooth (the pesto should be the consistency of a vinaigrette dressing; add more olive oil if needed).
2. Heat oven to 400°. In a bowl, toss tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp garlic powder. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer tomatoes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until tomatoes collapse and their skins char, 25 minutes. Lift the parchment paper and slide tomatoes into a bowl.
3. Bring a large pot filled halfway with water to a boil. Trim off any leaves or protruding knobs from the broccoli stem. Using a spiralizer blade that creates spaghetti style noodles, feed stem into the spiralizer. Boil broccoli noodles until slightly softened, 3 minutes. Drain noodles and place in a bowl of ice; refrigerate to chill.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toast almonds, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes.
5. Season chicken with thyme, remaining 1 tsp garlic powder, and salt and black pepper. Brush a grill pan with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil; grill chicken over medium-high heat, flipping once, until cooked through and juices run clear, 6–10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and squeeze a lemon wedge over each cutlet; slice cutlets into strips.
6. In a bowl, combine chilled broccoli noodles, endive, peppers, and pesto vinaigrette; divide among four plates. Top each salad with chicken, roasted tomatoes, and toasted almonds.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 4
- Calories 489
- Carbohydrate Content 23 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 27 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 42 g
- Saturated Fat Content 4 g
- Sodium Content 0 mg
- Sugar Content 0 g
- Trans Fat Content 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat Content 0 g