Balsamic Chicken & Summer Salad

Let’s talk salads. Last summer, all I ate were salads.  Pre-wedding jitters and a healthy fear of not getting to my dress limited my diet to greens, greens, and more greens. After you eat about seventy plain jane salads, you figure a few things out.  A great salad recipe needs substance, flavor, and a little bit o sass…

This is one of my favorite salads. Grilled peaches, strawberries, and blueberries lend a faint sweetness to the dish. Savory grilled chicken and raw almonds transform this salad from a side to a main course while peppery arugula and aged parmesan keep things lively. BAM baby.

This salad tastes great with or without dressing. I was going to dream up some perfect dressing for this salad, but the truth is I like plain old, store bought creamy Caesar with this one. Fire up your grill, pour yourself a glass of red, and have dinner outside tonight.

Balsamic Chicken & Summer Salad

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
2 peaches, sliced
5-6 romaine leaves
1 cup arugula leaves
4-5 fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/3 cup raw almonds
Parmesan

Method:

1. Mix balsamic vinegar, oil, and garlic powder until well blended.  Pour our chicken and let marinate for at least 4 hours.

2. Heat up your grill. Cook chicken breast and when chicken has about five minutes left, grill peaches slices until soft, about 2 minutes on each side. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes and then slice thinly.

3. Shred romaine leaves.  Build a bed of lettuce out of romaine and arugula.  Sprinkle berries and peaches on top.  Add almonds and chicken. Top with parmesan and serve.