Ah, my week for the recipe - back in March, when we were deciding to move onto salads after our wonderful months with soups, I was just about to start searching through my summer favorites (orzo, caprese, etc.) when my April issue of Bon Appetit arrived. On the cover of the magazine, on a pale yellow background, was this 'burst of spring' plate of salad. And that was my inspiration for Salad Samplers.
Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon leaves plus 2 teaspoons chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, divided
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons chopped shallot
6 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing
4 boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style French or sourdough bread
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
1 cup thinly sliced radishes (from 1 large bunch)
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers (about 1 1/2)
Preparation
Place 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, parsley, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and shallot in mini processor; chop coarsely. With machine running, gradually add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil by teaspoonfuls to thin, if necessary.
Whisk 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon, remaining 4 teaspoons lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush chicken breasts on both sides with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until grill marks form, skin is crisp, and chicken is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; let rest 5 minutes. Using clean brush, brush both sides of bread with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until dark-brown grill marks appear on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Place greens, radishes, and cucumbers in large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates.
{I had purchased a persian cucumber for the salad, and then discovered a lemon cucumber in my garden reading for picking, thus we had two cucumbers in this salad}
Cut grilled chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange 1 sliced chicken breast atop salad on each plate. Spoon tarragon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts over salads. Serve with grilled bread slices.
We thought that this was a perfectly delicious salad; David is a big fan of tarragon. Only thing with the tarragon pesto was that having made the recipe that serves 4, we pretty much ate most of it, for 2, so I would double that next time. Grilling the bread with olive oil was a nice touch.
Comments (2)
Marcia,we loved this salad, thanks for the great choice.
Posted by candi | June 28, 2009 8:13 PM
Posted on June 28, 2009 20:13
Marcia, thanks so much for this great salad choice for us! I loved this one.
Posted by Annie | June 29, 2009 6:05 AM
Posted on June 29, 2009 06:05