Chicken Salad with Berry Balsamic Relish
Ingredients
- Herb-Marinated Chicken:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Berry Balsamic Relish:
- 2 cups blueberries
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 to 1 mild green chile pepper, deseeded and sliced thin
- Salad:
- 6 cups kale
- 1/2 cup parsley (leaves and soft stems), chopped
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
- 1 avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces
Directions
- Mix the olive oil, parsley, mint, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Combine the marinade and chicken in a bowl; stir to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
- Heat vegetable oil in a grill pan over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly charred and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Mix the blueberries, balsamic vinegar, shallot, honey, and chile pepper together in a saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the blueberries are tender and the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Toss kale, parsley, mint, and avocado together in a salad bowl; top with chicken strips and serve with the berry balsamic relish.
If you'd like to serve this delicious dish as a side salad instead of a main course, you can easily make it vegan. Forgo the chicken, add another avocado, and substitute agave nectar for the the honey in the berry balsamic relish.
Reviews
What others are saying
Aja A says:
The berry relish is the star of this salad and is super tasty on its own with just some sliced baguette bread. It's a bit thick for it to be a dressing, but it coated the chicken and kale very nicely.
Jessica Scott says:
The berry balsamic relish is to die for! I admit, I was a skeptic at first, but my husband convinced me to try it and now we're both hooked. It pairs wonderfully with the chicken! I made this salad with arugula instead of kale, and it was so good.
Jen the Mighty says:
Blueberries plus balsamic vinegar with a hint of chile pepper has my head spinning from greatness! So good all on it's own, but then with the chicken and kale salad and some creamy avocado...heaven.