It is officially summer in the Pacific Northwest – it’s after 4^th of July which marks the official start of nice weather here.  Bring out the tank tops, swimsuits, shorts, sundresses and all the clothing that shows all the skin.  It’s the season of calorie light meals!  So we are kicking off the official start of summer with a 5-week series on salads.  You’ll see a new salad posted each Monday for another 4-weeks.  4 of the 5 are full-on dinner salads – salads you can serve as an entrée on their own.  One will be a side salad that is just too good not to share in this series.

Salads and soups are good menu options if you want to reduce the calories in meals.  This isn’t always the case – a salad loaded with high caloric ingredients like bacon, avocado, and creamy dressing will often surpass main dishes in calorie count.  So be careful not to load up your salad with these types of additions if reducing is your goal.  Same with soups – cream-based soups aren’t going to get you anywhere.  But summer is for grilling!  And salads are the perfect canvas for grilled meats, grilled vegetables, and even grilled bread.  I have an ever-growing catalog of “go-to” recipes, but I only have less than ten “go-to” entrée salad recipes.  If you have some favorites in your recipe collection, please share in the comments below, send me an email, or comment on Instagram – I’m always on the search for good salad recipes!

We’re kicking this first week off with an Italian chicken spiedie salad.  This recipe is one of my 10 “go to” salad recipes and one of my top 5!  Spiedie is an Italian style marinade that’s used to marinade chicken (and many other meats) before grilling on skewers, and then serving on a sandwich.  We tried this recipe for marinating and grilling the chicken and loved the marinade as an Italian dressing as well, so we created a salad around it.  I love making this salad in the summer when we have fresh cherry tomatoes in the garden.  The sweetness of the ripe tomatoes compliments the flavors of this and many salads so well.  Break out your grill, select your favorite salad greens and give this one a go!  Don’t forget to share with me your favorite salad recipes – I’d love it!

Yield: 8 servings

Italian Chicken Spiedie Salad

A wonderful grilled chicken salad with a homemade Italian dressing! If you can, try to enjoy at least once with fresh tomatoes picked at the peak of their harvest (Aug - Sep).

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Ingredients

Marinade & Dressing

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 TBSP white wine vinegar
• 4 TBSP chopped Mama Lil's Peppers in brine (or you could use Peppadew peppers)
• 2 TBSP mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 3 TSP dried oregano
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

SALAD

• 3 LBS boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pint fresh cherry tomatoes
• salad greens of choice (I usually use a romaine or a gem lettuce)
• grated fresh parmesan

Instructions

First, make the marinade/salad dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl and mixing. Be sure to taste for sweetness and seasoning and adjust sugar, salt, and pepper accordingly.

Place chicken thighs in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag and add ~1 cup of the marinade to the bag. Turn to coat, and let rest for at least 30 minutes, but up to 1 day. Set remaining marinade aside to be used as a salad dressing.

Grill chicken thighs, let rest, and then slice into bit size pieces. Prepare salad greens and slice tomatoes into desired size. Toss greens and tomatoes with salad dressing. Add grated parmesan cheese and toss again. Plate salad and then top with chicken. Drizzle some more dressing on top and top with more grated parmesan. Serve with a piece of toast topped with butter and parmesan cheese.

Notes

Inspired by: Bon Appetit