Spring and summer, the time for simple, lovely, easy to put together meals. We love this Grilled Chicken with Strawberry and Arugula Salad for it’s simplicity, flavor and beauty. See what we mean…
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The Chicken:
Brining is the secret to success when it comes to boneless, skinless chicken breasts (don’t worry it’s easy!). These breasts were brined in sea salt salt and water for 30 minutes, then grilled to juicy perfection. No dry, tasteless chicken breasts here!
The Salad:
Peppery arugula with sweet, ripe, colorful strawberries, sprinkled with roasted pine nuts. So simple. So lovely.
The Dressing:
We give you two choices: we prefer an olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette on this salad. It’s smooth, fresh and light, perfect for spring and summer. But you can also use a traditional balsamic.
What you need: Himalayan or kosher sea salt for brining and a quality white balsamic vinegar (<—our fave but we also like this one) If you prefer you can use a traditional balsamic. You will also need parchment paper and a rolling pin for pounding chicken.
A fresh, light, beautiful spring/summer salad with a choice of white balsamic vinaigrette or traditional balsamic vinaigrette. Paleo and Whole 30!
Course:
dinner, Main Course
Cuisine:
American, BBQ, grilling
Keyword:
#bbq, #easy dinner, Paleo, whole30
Servings: 4
:
For Chicken:
-
4
smallish boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded and brined -
6
cups
water -
1/3
cup
sea salt, I use Himalayan sea salt, but you can use Kosher too - sea salt, pepper, olive oil
For Salad:
-
4
cups
organic baby arugula -
2
cups
sliced organic strawberries -
1/4
cup
roasted pine nuts
For White Balsamic dressing:
-
1/3
cup
extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil -
3
tablespoons
white balsamic -
1
tablespoon
fresh lemon juice -
pinch
sea salt and black pepper
If using traditional balsamic
-
1/3
cup
extra virgin olive oil -
3
tablespoons
balsamic vinegar -
1/4
teaspoon
dijon mustard - pinch sea salt and pepper
-
Place water and salt in a large bowl and stir
-
Place chicken breasts between folded parchment paper and pound with a rolling pin until uniformly thick (about 3/4″ thick is best)
-
Place breasts in salt water for 30 minutes
While breasts brine, prepare salad and dressing, preheat grill:
-
After breasts have brined for 20 minutes, place lettuce and sliced berries on platter, sprinkle with pine nuts and whisk together dressing ingredients
-
Preheat grill on high, about 425 degrees
-
After breasts have brined for 30 minutes, remove breasts from water, pat dry with paper towels
-
Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste
-
Place breasts on preheated grill, close lid and cook until nice golden grill marks are established (3-4 minutes), then turn the meat a quarter turn (don’t flip, just rotate the same side a 1/4 turn) and cook until new criss-cross marks appear. (3-4 minutes)
-
Turn breasts over, lower heat to med/low (about 350 degrees) close lid and cook for five more minutes until just cooked through. Don’t over cook! Remove from grill
-
Whisk dressing again and dress salad
-
Leave whole or if desired, cut breasts on the diagonal and serve topped with salad
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