Grilled Chicken and Arugula Salad

Name: Grilled Chicken and Arugula Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: Farro, semi-pearled / husked and uncooked - 1 1/8 cups; Basil, fresh - 15 leaves; Shallots - 1 1/2 cloves, diced; balsamic Vinegar - 7 1/2 Tbsp; Lemon juice - 1 1/2 Tbsp; Mustard, Dijon - 1 1/2 tsp; Honey - 1 1/2 tsp; Oil, cooking - 3/4 cup; Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 1/2 lbs, halved to thin; Plums - 3, sliced; Cucumbers - 12 oz, chopped; Cheese, feta - 7 1/2 oz, cubed; Baby arugula - 15 oz; pine nuts - 1/2 cup

12 steps

The basil vinaigrette is outstanding. Could also use goat cheese in place of feta, or sunflower seeds in place of pine nuts.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 01:09:09 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories776.6 kcal (39%)

Total Fat51.2 g (73%)

Carbs40.8 g (16%)

Sugars12.1 g (13%)

Protein41.4 g (83%)

Sodium332 mg (17%)

Fiber5.7 g (20%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

6 servings

Instructions

Prep

Step 1

Cook farro - (Double if making Thursday’s meal; if prepping right before cooking, get grill heating and chicken marinating while farro cooks.) Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Give it a generous sprinkle of salt and add farro. If you bought semi-pearled or husked farro, it should take about 25 minutes to cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

Step 2

Make vinaigrette - Finely chop basil and shallots (if you want to use a blender for this vinaigrette, you can leave them in larger pieces). Whisk together basil, shallots, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and honey. Add cooking oil while whisking. (Or just blend everything together.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead).

Step 3

Halve chicken - Slice chicken in half lengthwise to thin. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

Step 4

Marinate chicken - Combine chicken with half the vinaigrette (reserve the other half for dressing) and tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to a day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

Step 5

Plums / Cucumbers / Feta - Prep as directed.

Make

Step 6

Preheat grill to 400F / 204C degrees, keeping one section on higher heat and another section on lower heat. Clean and brush grates with some oil.

Step 7

Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade). Season chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper.

Step 8

Sear chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side and transfer to lower heat. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165F / 74C degrees, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 9

When chicken is finished cooking, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step 10

If farro was made ahead, reheat in the microwave just to take the chill off.

Step 11

Assemble salad with a bed of arugula. Top with farro, plums, cucumbers, feta, and pine nuts. Drizzle second half of dressing over top until dressed to your liking.

Step 12

Slice chicken and serve on top of salad. Enjoy!