A main-course salad brimming with lots of vegetables and lean meat is one of my favourite ways to put a healthy meal on the dinner table. This one is zesty, with arugula and peperoncini (pickled Italian peppers) in the citrusy vinaigrette. The zucchini ribbons, which look like wide pappardelle pasta, have an appetizing, fresh texture and look beautiful on the plate. When weather permits, cook the chicken breasts on an outdoor grill.
Curtis Stone's grilled chicken with arugula and zucchini salad
By Chatelaine20
PREP TIME
15 min
Makes
4 Servings
* PLUS Cooking time: 10 minutes
Curtis Stone's Grilled chicken with arugula and zucchini salad with lemon-caper vinaigrette recipe Photo by Quentin Bacon
Curtis Stone shares recipes from his brand new cookbook, What's for Dinner? Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp coarsely chopped drained nonpareil capers
- 1 tbsp finely chopped peperoncini (pickled Italian peppers)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chicken
- 4 skinless, boneless halves of chicken breast , (about 6 ounces each)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 5 ounces arugula , (about 8 cups not packed)
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 small, thin zucchini
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk the shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, peperoncini, parsley, and vinegar together. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To cook the chicken: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes per side, or until it is seared with grill marks and shows no sign of pink when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a small sharp knife. Transfer to a cutting board.
- To assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the arugula and tomatoes. Trim the ends of the zucchini. One at a time, lay the zucchini flat on a work surface and, using a vegetable peeler and working from the stem end to the blossom end, shave off long, thin ribbons until you reach the seedy center. Turn the zucchini around and repeat on the second side, then repeat on the third and fourth sides. Add the ribbons to the bowl and discard the seedy centres of the zucchini.
- Using your hands to avoid breaking the ribbons, gently toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cut each chicken breast crosswise into thirds. Transfer a cut chicken breast to each plate and heap some of the salad alongside. Drizzle the chicken and salad with the remaining vinaigrette and serve immediately.
