Juicy summer peaches and corn, pesto grilled chicken, creamy avocado and tangy goat cheese, red onion, toasty pine nuts, and an easy honey balsamic dressing tossed with crisp Romaine. Aka a CRAVE-WORTHY bowl of summertime.
Recipe updated from original post July 7, 2018.
I came home from Greece to find STONE FRUIT season in full force. What says “welcome home” like a juicy ripe peach and a side of Florida sunshine? (Well, when it stops raining…) In Ikaria, we had surprisingly little fruit in our diet, unless you count tomatoes, which we ate literally at every meal. Fruit was enjoyed more as a treat than a staple. But now the clock is ticking for sweet summer peaches and cherries and nectarines and plums and apricots galore. So, for me, a staple they will be before they disappear.
The origin of this salad was a ravenous scavenge through my fridge for all things summery, and I ended up with wholesome yumminess from every food group:
- Chicken- Try cooking a batch of raw chicken tenders in a skillet with a little salt and pepper (and I use avocado oil for the pan), let cool a couple minutes, then dice or pull. Store leftover strips in the fridge for convenient use in any number of different recipes.
- Prepared basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)- Toss with the chopped chicken. It adds an extra kick of summery flavor and keeps the chicken
moistand yummy. If you don’t have any on hand, chopped fresh basil is also great. - Peach- only when in season, ripe, juicy, sweet, local if available. Heavenly.
- Fresh sweet corn- Just shave it off the cob, and it’s ready to go! If you want to bring out the flavors even more, you can grill it on the cob alongside the chicken, then shave.
- Red onion- for a little zing and texture
- Avocado- ripe and soft
- Crumbled goat cheese- The tang and creaminess are perfect for salads. But feta would also be a great option. Always go for highest quality; you can taste a difference.
- Pine nuts- Toast them in a pan on the stove or in the toaster oven just until shimmery and aromatic. Walnuts also work.
- Romaine- or any other green
- Homemade honey dijon balsamic dressing- You’ll never use store-bought again!
On the side was a handful of Beanfields sea salt bean chips. Highly recommend! For other healthy crunchy salty sides I’ve been loving, check out this post. You could also do extra veggies with hummus or tzaziki. And the salad is wonderfully filling on its own; adjust the amounts of ingredients to your needs and preferences!
Loaded Summertime Peach Chicken Salad
Notes
*If you don't have any pesto on hand, chopped fresh basil is great here.
See post for other tips and substitution ideas.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1-2 raw chicken breast tenderloins
- 1/2 Tbsp prepared basil pesto*
- ~5g pine nuts
- 1 cup roughly chopped Romaine
- 1/2 ripe peach, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh sweet corn
- 1/2 oz avocado, thinly sliced/chopped
- ~1 Tbsp thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
- 1/4 tsp Dijon
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp honey
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- glaze from skillet (if using)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a skillet or grill pan (I rub with avocado oil). Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook about 4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Set aside to cool ~5 minutes.
- While the pan is still hot, deglaze with ~1 Tbsp chicken broth. Stir and simmer until it reaches a glaze consistency. Add to a small bowl for mixing the dressing.
- Dice the chicken. In a small bowl, toss with pesto.
- Toast the pine nuts in a skillet on the stove or in the toaster oven 2-3 minutes, or just until fragrant.
- Add salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Thoroughly mix the dressing ingredients, including the skillet sauce if using.
- Toss dressing with the salad and dig in!
this sounds great. i will try this today
Enjoy!!! š¤