Salad With Blueberries, Walnuts, and Lemon Basil Chicken

Blueberries, Walnuts, and Lemon Basil Chicken Salad

Chicken breasts marinated with lemon juice and basil are pan-cooked to juicy perfection, then sliced and served atop a bed of lettuce with fresh blueberries, toasted walnuts, and sliced cucumber. This is a simple, satisfying salad that tastes great even without any dressing.

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Salad With Blueberries, Walnuts, and Lemon Basil Chicken


Yield: 4 servings

Cook Time: 45 minutes, not including marinating

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil

For the chicken:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

For the salad:

  • 1 small head butter or green leaf lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into 1-inch strips*
  • 1 small cucumber, sliced (and optionally peeled)
  • 4 ounces blueberries
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted about 5 minutes at 350˚F
  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Rinse chicken breasts with cold water and pat completely dry. Trim away white pieces of fat with a paring knife.
  2. Combine marinade ingredients and whisk together until emulsified (no longer separated). Place chicken breasts in a gallon-sized zipper bag or shallow dish and pour marinade over top. Chicken should be mostly submerged in marinade. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
  3. Remove chicken and reserve marinade. Heat oil in a large (not nonstick) skillet over medium-high. When it begins to show wisps of smoke, carefully place chicken breasts in hot pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook until nicely browned and then flip, about 4 minutes per side. If you have a nice sizzle but chicken seems stuck to pan, it probably isn’t done—give it another minute and it should come away more easily. Remove to a plate; keep pan hot.
  4. Pour reserved marinade into the hot pan and turn heat to high. Allow to sit at a full, rolling boil for 1 minute. This step is very important for food safety—do not boil for any less than 1 minute.
  5. Pour in white wine, using your spatula to combine and scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to low and return chicken breasts to the pan. Cover and cook 10 minutes, turning halfway through. To test for doneness, cut into the middle of one chicken breast—the meat should not show any pink and juices should run clear. Remove from heat.
  6. To assemble the salad, distribute lettuce among four dinner plates. Arrange cucumber slices, blueberries, and toasted walnuts among the plates. Slice cooked chicken breasts with a sharp, serrated knife. Top each salad with one whole breast, slices slightly fanned out. Place a lemon wedge on the side. Top with remaining sauce and a squeeze of lemon or optionally with a light vinaigrette.

*Note: Nothing ruins a salad more quickly than wet lettuce. Make sure that your lettuce is completely dry, using either a salad spinner or plenty of paper towels. Even damp lettuce will result in a pool of water at the bottom of your guest’s plate, so be vigilant!