Hello Saturday! I don’t know what Saturdays mean in your house, but in mine Saturdays include a trip to the grocery store and a stop at one of the Farmer’s Markets that seem to pop up all around town this time of year.
When planning our meals, we tend to eat fresh fruits and vegetables earlier in the week. By Friday, it’s ingredients with a longer shelf-life than a tomato. Although once our garden is ready for harvest, fresh tomatoes will once again be a daily occurrence.
The nice thing about planning a salad for supper is that prep work is minimal. Only a few salads actually require cooking. I suppose we could have used store-bought hard boiled eggs, Bacon Bits and chicken from the deli counter. But really, how much effort is there to boiling eggs, frying bacon and sautéing chicken? I rest my case. Enjoy!
BLT Chicken Salad
4 Eggs
6 slices Thick-Cut Bacon
1 large Chicken Breast
Salt to taste
Southwest Seasoning Blend to taste
1 pint Grape Tomatoes
1/2 Red Onion
3 Green Onions, green parts only
6 cups Spring Greens
1/4 head Iceberg Lettuce
Ranch Dressing as desired
Fresh Black Pepper to taste
Place eggs in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with pan lid and let steep for 15 minutes.
Plunge hard cooked eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, crack shells and return to ice water until ready to peel. The water will seep into the cracks, making peeling the eggs easier. Eggs can be made in the morning and refrigerated until ready to use.
Stack the bacon together, cut in thirds lengthwise, then dice the strips into pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon pieces until crisp, stirring as needed for even cooking. Move bacon to paper towels to drain. Leave all but a tablespoon or so of bacon grease in the skillet.
Cut chicken into cubes. Season with salt and Southwest Seasoning Blend to taste. Toss to coat, season again if necessary. Add cubed chicken to the skillet, cook over medium heat until cooked through, stirring often for even cooking, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, set aside.
Peel eggs, slice and set aside. Cut tomatoes in half and set aside. Cut red onion into small slivers, set aside. Snip the green tops of the onion, set aside.
Scatter spring greens on a large platter. Tear Iceberg Lettuce into bite-size pieces, scatter over the green.
Scatter red onion slivers, sliced eggs, cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, and tomato halves over the greens. Garnish with a sprinkling of green onion tops. Season with fresh pepper. Serve with dressing on the side.
Perfect with warm Naan Bread and a crisp wine.
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