Salad with grilled chicken, peaches and vegetables

A nutritious, delicious and colourful meal!

As far as ‘meals in a bowl’ go, this one is a real winner. It’s packed with flavour and colour, not to mention nutrition. You can vary the vegetables to suit your preference (or what you have on hand) and grilled plums would be a great substitute for the peaches. If you don’t wish to use a grill, you can roast or fry the salad components instead.

Ingredients

Marinade/dressing:

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon very finely minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 1 large (6 oz / 170 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 5 cups (175 g) mixed salad greens, torn
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil (approximately)
• 2 peaches, quartered
• 2/3 cup (45 g) snap peas, strings removed
• 1 small red pepper, seeded and quartered
• 2 Lebanese or Persian cucumbers, diagonally sliced
• 2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs, torn (I used basil)
• 1/4 cup (1 oz / 28 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Method

• Combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, minced shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar or bowl. Shake or whisk until well combined.
• Place the chicken breast in a disposable food storage bag and drizzle with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the balsamic mixture. Seal the bag, pressing out air as you do so. Place chicken in fridge and let marinate 1-12 hours, turning bag occasionally. 
• Preheat grill to medium-high (375F). Remove chicken from marinade and place on lightly oiled grate. Grill, flipping once after about 5 minutes, until chicken’s internal temperature in the thickest part is 165F.
• While chicken is grilling, place the peaches, snap peas and red pepper pieces in a bowl. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat lightly. Transfer to a grill basket placed on the grill and cook, turning after 3 minutes, until all are softened and have some grill marks.
• Remove the cooked chicken from the grill and set aside on a clean plate for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Remove the peaches, peas and red pepper from the grill basket. Let all cool slightly then slice peach quarters in half and chop red pepper pieces into fourths.
• Once chicken has cooled, slice into bite-sized pieces.
• To prepare the salad, divide the lettuce among two broad bowls and scatter cucumber over top. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and toss to coat.
• Arrange the chicken, peaches, snap peas and red pepper over the lettuce. Scatter herbs and feta over top. Pass remaining dressing at the table.

Serves 2; recipe can easily be multiplied.