Summer Salad with Chicken, Peaches & Citrus Vinaigrette
Recently, hubby and I enjoyed a lunch special at a breakfast and lunch restaurant in our old neighborhood. While we both thought the salad with chicken and peaches was very good, I thought I could improve on it—and so I did! 🙂
I kept the base of greens, chicken, and peaches the same; but I wanted a more flavorful dressing. I found one online for a citrus vinaigrette that was just the ticket. It’s so good that I was tasting it by the spoonful.
Once I had the base and dressing, I approached the rest as an empty canvas, and you should as well. The optional ingredients are totally up to you, but I wouldn’t skip the goat cheese as it complemented the peaches really well.
Enjoy…
Summer Salad with Chicken, Peaches & Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients for One Serving of Salad
- Approx. 3 cups of your favorite greens—mesclun, baby spinach, romaine, etc.
- 2 to 4 oz. of cooked chicken, chopped or sliced
- 1/2 peach, sliced
Optional Salad Ingredients
- Goat cheese (I tried 1 oz. but then upped it to 2 oz. which I preferred)
- Quinoa (I like to sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons over the greens)
- Green beans
- Cherry tomatoes
- A sprinkle of scallions, chives, or parsley
- Black olives
- Candied pecans
- Braised onions
Directions for Salad
After your base of greens, chicken, and peaches, add any and all optional ingredients listed above. Quantities are up to your personal preference!
Drizzle salad with citrus vinaigrette. If you’re not counting carbs, a crusty roll would be a nice accompaniment.
Ingredients for Vinaigrette
- 3 tbl. cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tbl. honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced (1/2 to 3/4 tsp. – I like garlic so I used 3/4 tsp.)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Directions for Vinaigrette
In a liquid measuring cup whisk the vinegar, orange juice, honey, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly stream in the olive oil and whisk vigorously until fully combined.
Cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Source: A frantastic original