Wednesday night means another night that Roman gets busy in the kitchen and the grill. Yesterday was a bad day for us as we dined on fastfood hamburgers (twice actually for Roman) which really left a need to go slightly healthier tonight. Ok, its not quite that healthy given that this recipe has bacon, butter and cheese in it but it’s better than a double whopper with cheese!
This recipe is straight out of the BGE cookbook – page 103 if you want the real deal or try mine below with a few variants added along the way.
Here are your ingredients (and save the vinaigrette recipe for any salad you like…this was a true winner!)
100 grams baby spinach, rinsed
1/2 cup thinly sliced white button mushrooms
2 cups of 1-inch cubed French baguette
3 tbs unsalted butter, melted
6 slices of Danish streaky bacon, crispy
1/4 minced shallots
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 big boneless chicken breast
2 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
Step 1: Making the croutons is easy and pretty quick though watch the amount of butter you use as they can end up pretty soggy! I added some granulated dried garlic to mine and it turned out quite good. In a medium bowl, toss the bread bits with the melted butter and garlic. Place the croutons on a grill pan and cook whilst turning constantly to avoid burning. Once done, remove the croutons and set them aside for the salad…
Step 2: Ah the vinaigrette…delicious! Cook your bacon for added flavour to the salad. Keep the bacon fat in the pan as you’ll need it to fry up the shallots and garlic (about 1.5 minutes.) Once you do that, add the vinegar, mustard and sugar and stir it well. Using a non-scratching whisk, blend in the 1/2 cup olive oil slowly until it emulsifies. Once done, season with some S&P and set it aside.
Step 3: The Chicken! Easy as! Lightly brush both sides of the breast with your favorite olive oil. Season well with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken on the grid of your BGE set at 400 F. I kept mine on for 6 minutes per side then another 2 minutes per side tuned 90 degrees to achieve nicely seared hatch marks. Then remove your chicken breast, put it on a plate and cover it with aluminium foil – that redistributes the juices and keeps it warm for up to 2 hours.
Step 4: Assemble your masterpiece. Pour the vinaigrette onto your salad, add your croutons and bacon. I also added some feta cheese and olives for some more twang! Season with S&P and then divide the salad accordingly. Place your quartered eggs on for a nice look and then add your diagonally sliced chicken breast on top.
That’s it…awesome chicken salad with minimal effort!
Bon Apetite! Roman
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