Balsamic Chicken Salad

Balsamic Chicken Salad

Found in Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Magazine, September/October 2006

Serves 6

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast halves (4 oz each), cut into 3-inch strips

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

6 cups torn mixed salad greens

1. In large skillet, saute chicken and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil until chicken juices run clear; remove from pan.

2. In the same skillet, bring vinegar to a boil.

3. Add chicken, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil.

4. Cook and stir until heated through.

5. Divide salad greens among six plates and top with chicken mixture.

I had one small mess up, I misread a small part of the directions. I completely missed the 4 tablespoons of olive oil. It would have made everything a little less dry but I can't imagine it would have changed the taste all that much.

I added cucumbers to the mixture, which was probably the tastiest part of the salad. They absorbed the balsamic vinegar and had lots of flavor. I would highly recommend doing this otherwise, the salad is just greens, tomatoes and lettuce. Also, I used a prepackaged butter lettuce rather than the mixed greens the recipe called for. I prefer the butter lettuce because it is a tad bit sweet, which worked well with balancing the vinegary flavor of this dish.

I cut the chicken breast as called for but felt the pieces were a bit tasteless. I think the chicken strips would have had more flavor if they were thinner. I would recommend cutting them as if you would be using them in fajitas; long and thin.

Overall, I think this turned out pretty good and I would make it again as a side to something else. For a pregnant lady, I didn't find it as fulfilling as a entree salad should be.