Recipe – Chicken Breast Salad with Black Grapes

Greetings! ♥

I hope you all are having a beautiful summer. It’s getting hotter in California with beautiful shining days and palm trees dancing with the cool breezes. So eating light is very important to keep you energized. Just as important is to keep hydrated by drinking fresh natural juices, smoothies, and water; also eating fruit can be key to looking and feeling great during the summer months. Also, don’t forget to protect your skin, applying daily sunscreen lotion …

I’m always experimenting and playing with ingredients trying and tasting other possibilities to bring out new flavors. Today I would like to share this super, healthy, lightly summery recipe I created. The flavors and textures of this chicken salad are delicious and includes most if not all of the nutrients your body needs. It’s great for brunch, lunch, dinner, picnics. You can eat it on top of your favorite lettuces, croissants, sandwiches with crusty French bread, stuffed in pita bread, or spread on crackers. The salad is best served fresh, although it can be refrigerated in a tightly covered container for up to 24 hours.

Enjoy the recipe and let me know how you like it. Any exciting plans for this summer?

Chicken Breast Salad with Black Grapes

Ingredients: Serves 2

• 1 lb boneless, skinless, free range chicken breast That’s roughly one large chicken breast
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (or water infused with fresh or dried herbs or chopped vegetables, fruit juice, light coconut, white wine – pretty much choose any of these methods to cook the breast
• 1 large celery stalk, finely diced (exactly ¼ cup diced)
• 3 scallions finely chopped mixing white and green parts – exactly 3 tbsp or substitute for onion if you prefer
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I used a fruity Italian olive oil)
• ½ cup firmly, ripe, plump, seedless black grapes, well washed and quartered
  • Make sure you give them a good rinse in the sink, before cutting them, because little bugs or spiders like to cuddle up between the grapes.
• 2 tbsp green seedless olives finely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro with stems
• ¼ cup raw sliced almonds
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I used a fine pink Himalayan salt)

How to Prepare:

Place chicken breast in sauce pan large enough to fit the breast comfortably. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to completely cover the chicken. If desired, add any other ingredients for flavoring. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat; reduce heat, cover pan leaving a crack for the steam to escape and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink. (Usually it takes about 9-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the piece or until the chicken reaches 170°F.) Once the chicken is fully cooked, leave it to cool and dice into small cubes. Once cool, stir the chicken breast in a large bowl with celery, scallions, grapes, olives, cilantro, Greek yogurt and olive oil, seasoning it with salt and pepper to add flavor. All ingredients should be well mixed with a large spoon.

If adding on top of lettuce, make sure lettuce has been well washed and dried completely. Then drizzle with raw sliced almonds and then add the chicken salad on top and serve.

Notes:

• In this recipe I used a variety of organic baby lettuces containing red and green Romaine, red and green oak leaf, red leaf, Lollo Rosa, Tango, organic Mizuma, organic red and green chard, organic baby spinach, organic arugula, organic Frisée, organic Radicchio, and organic onion sprouts.
• Also my recipes are usually cooked with homemade broths. I keep a variety of containers with different flavors, frozen and labeled, ready to be used.
• When the chicken is done, retain the broth to add to other meals that require it.
• Lastly, the more patience that is applied in the preparation of the ingredients, such as finely chopping certain ingredients, the more well-blended and enjoyable the flavor will be.

– Photos by me