Sarah Gearino
Balsamic Blackened Chicken Salad

IngredientsChicken Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp parkay spray butter (more if desired)
2-3 tsp chilli powder
1-2 tsp ground black pepper
Salad Ingredients
3 Bundles Romaine Leaves Ends trimmed
1/2 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 large red bell pepper deseeded and diced
1/2-3/4 large english cucumber
1/2 cup pistachios
2 stalks celery ends trimmed
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesean cheese
1/4-1/2 cup dressing measure to your liking!!!!
Hey all! Hope you are all as ready for the wknd as I am! I have been making my own salad dressing for years and my “go-to” meal is a grilled chicken salad. I pretty much eat a salad every day for lunch and I do not get sick of it because my salad and dressing recipe is just that good!!!lol My parents, sister, nephews, grandmother, clients, friends, and co-workers all love my salad dressing so much that I supply them monthly with dressing! I have perfected my chicken salad recipe as well, so I just have to share it with you all:)
Remove your chicken breasts from the fridge. Cut the fat from all edges of the chicken.
Place each chicken breast in a ziploc baggie and pound down to a thin (1/2 inch) piece of chicken.
Spray both sides of the chicken with spray butter and sprinkle both sides with a combo of ground black pepper and chilli powder. I typically use twice as much chilli powder as black pepper.
Add olive oil and spray butter to a pan and then place the chicken breasts into the pan.
Cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes on one side, and then flip to cook for about 7 minutes on the other side. I will then continue flipping and pressing the chicken down in order to thoroughly brown and fully cook each piece. If the pan gets dry, I will add a little more oil or spray butter under each breast. I am weird about undercooked chicken, so I really brown them:)
Place the chicken on a cutting board. Use a large sharp knife to cut the chicken in thin strips.
As the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad. I use lettuce, carrots, red/orange/yellow bell pepper, cucumber, celery, pistachios, and a sprinkle of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese. I use either romaine or red/green leaf lettuce. The type of lettuce you use does not matter…as long as it has a crunch!