Insalata Di Pollo
"Italian Chicken Salad"
photo by MsPia
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
-
For the croutons
- 4 cups cubes Italian bread (from a 1/2 lb crusty round loaf)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
-
For the vinaigrette dressing
- 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-
For the salad
- 2 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (1/2 lb, from a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls, 6 oz)
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts, torn into bite-size pieces (3/4 lb total)
- 1 (8 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, rinsed, drained, and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide strips
- 1 cup assorted marinated oil-cured olives (5 oz)
directions
-
Prepare the croutons:
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F
- Toss bread cubes with olive oil and salt in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
-
Make vinaigrette dressing and begin preparing salad while croutons bake:
- Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients except olive oil in a small bowl until combined. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
- Toss chicken and bocconcini mozzarella together with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a bowl and let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
-
Prepare the salad:
- Toss together romaine lettuce, red peppers, olives, chicken and bocconcini mixture, croutons, and remaining vinaigrette in a large bowl until combined. Makes 4 main-course servings.
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Reviews
-
We loved this. It was very easy to put together, and very very yummy! I did make a couple of substitutions: I used 1/4 cup oil, and 1/4 cup water to the dressing, and had to substitute red onion for the shallots. I didn't have any brocconcini, so I used 3/4 cup shredded mozzerella. You do need to add all the dressing. (I thought at first that it seemed a lot, but there's not a lot of flavour in the chicken or cheese, so it needs all the dressing. And a word of caution: watch the crutons carefully. I nearly burned mine! My husband's even asked for a print out of the recipe so he can make it himself. I guess that means this is a keeper! Thanks Ms. Pia!
Tweaks
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We loved this. It was very easy to put together, and very very yummy! I did make a couple of substitutions: I used 1/4 cup oil, and 1/4 cup water to the dressing, and had to substitute red onion for the shallots. I didn't have any brocconcini, so I used 3/4 cup shredded mozzerella. You do need to add all the dressing. (I thought at first that it seemed a lot, but there's not a lot of flavour in the chicken or cheese, so it needs all the dressing. And a word of caution: watch the crutons carefully. I nearly burned mine! My husband's even asked for a print out of the recipe so he can make it himself. I guess that means this is a keeper! Thanks Ms. Pia!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
MsPia
Louisville
I'm lucky to have had two amazing grandmothers with a passion for cooking.My Nona was from the north of Italy and Lolo was from Spain. Lolo used to make pickle fish. You would think that is a kids worst nightmare, but it was fabulous. I would kill for that recipe.My mother was also a wonderful cook. I grew up eating the most amazing food; her lasagna and Bolognese sauce are out of this world.
I am originally from Argentina and living in Colorado for the past 25 years. As you can imagine, I love to cook, eat and entertain. I read cookbooks like novels.
There is nothing that I enjoy more than traveling. I love the challenge of a new culture and a foreign language. Of course all my traveling is culinary oriented. Eventually I would love to move to Italy. Italians, in my opinion, have the perfect life style; Hard work in the morning, good food for lunch, nice siesta and out for a "giro" (go for a round) in the afternoons to visit with your friends over a cup of coffee.
My daughter is a great baker; she has a natural talent for it. We can make the exact same recipe and hers ALWAYS tastes much better.
My favorite products are seasonal, organic and fresh; I stay away from cans and pre-mixed stuff. I'm a proud member of the Slow Food movement. www.slowfood.com
