The Village - Grilled vegetable and herbed chicken salad

RECIPES

Grilled vegetable and herbed chicken salad

By Anthea Dawson

In the summertime, I would happily eat salad for every meal. This one is great because you can throw in whatever vegetables are in season at the moment, really anything goes.

The star of the show is the herb marinated, then grilled chicken. The longer it sits in the herby marinade, the better but it’s equally delicious if you are short on time and it’s only ten minutes. Serve with a fresh baguette and it’s the perfect meal for a hot summer’s day!

Ingredients

SERVES 4-6
(as a main course)

For the marinade:

• 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup good quality olive oil (or more)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, cleaned and stemmed
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, cleaned and stemmed
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• Salt and pepper

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and washed well
• 3 ears of corn
• 1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, trimmed
• 1 red pepper, trimmed
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, cleaned and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Marinade: In a food processor, add the chopped garlic, shallot, mustard, vinegar, chili flakes, lemon zest and juice and pulse until well combined and a paste has formed. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. Once it’s well combined, add the fresh herbs and salt and pepper and pulse until the herbs are well chopped, scraping down the sides with a spatula. If the marinade seems too thick, just add more olive oil until you get the consistency you like. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the marinade and toss the rest in with the chicken, mixing the chicken well with your hands to make sure it’s well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for as long as you can, up to 24 hours.

Get your grill nice and hot and then turn down the heat to medium. Toss all the prepared vegetables (except the lettuce) with olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Grill until nicely charred and set aside to cool.

Still over medium heat, add the chicken thighs to the barbecue (and discard the marinade left in the bowl). Grill until the thighs are cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Check to make sure they are cooked through by cutting into one of them, making sure they are no longer pink on the inside. Once done, set the thighs aside to cool.

Salad: Add the torn lettuce to a large salad bowl. Cut the cooled, grilled asparagus, peppers and onions into bite-sized chunks and add to the salad bowl. With a serrated knife, slice the charred corn kernels from the cob (this can be a messy process) and add to the salad as well. Slice the cooled, grilled chicken thighs and add to the salad. Then toss it all with the remaining 3 tablespoons of marinade that had been set aside, sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese and spritz with some fresh lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a nicely warmed baguette!

About the author: Anthea Dawson Oldland is a professionally trained chef who worked for years in the restaurant and catering world before her three kids came along. Her focus had to quickly shift from working black tie events on New Year's eve to purees, bake sales and chicken fingers. Now with older kids, she finds it easier to work her trained style of cooking in to everyday life, making one family meal that is nutritious and delicious, that hopefully challenges everyone's taste buds and opens up their eyes to interesting food. She lives in Montreal, Quebec and is currently working on a cookbook of family recipes.