MONDAY
Chicken Salad with Arugula, Marcona Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds & Oranges
When I serve a salad as the main course for dinner to my clan it has to be substantial. And by “substantial” I don’t necessarily mean in size {although my football/baseball playing high school son eats his weight around here} but rather in flavor…it must possess all that stimulates and satisfies the tastebuds…savory, sweet, salty, refreshing. Texture is also a key factor…hearty lettuces must be combined with a source of crunch and a generous helping of tender protein doesn’t hurt. This salad is all that and more.
An adaptation from Nigel Slater’s Chicken Salad with Watercress, Almonds & Orange in his The Kitchen Diaries, this salad makes the most of left~over roasted chicken {from this dinner}…
Combining it with seasonal fruit, I used currently in~season mandarins and blood oranges…{for a quick video tutorial on the best way to peel citrus so as to get rid of all the bitter pith click here}…
As well as toasted nuts and seeds {marcona almonds and raw pumpkin seeds}…
On a bed of peppery greens {I used arugula in place of watercress}…
Creating a completely satisfying dinner entrĂ©e. The dressing is quite basic…olive oil, red wine vinegar, whole grain mustard…but the lightest coating complements the savory as well as the sweet in this salad. Satisfying for sure, although some of us ate more than others {ahem…Max}…
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons, raw pumpkin seeds
- liquid aminos {or soy sauce}
- 4 tablespoons marcona almonds {or whole skinned almonds}
- 2-3 generous handfuls of arugula {or other peppery green such as watercress}, washed and dried
- 3 oranges {I used 1 mandarin and 2 blood oranges}, peeled to remove all of the white pith and then sliced
- cooked chicken
- Make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, mustard and vinegar and season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a non-stick frying pan and sprinkle with the liquid aminos. Toast them over a medium flame for about 2 minutes {they will smell toasty and the sauce will have dried}.
- Remove the seeds from the pan and quickly toast the almonds...this will only take about a minute {be careful here...they will burn very quickly if not tended to}.
- In a small bowl, toss the chicken pieces with a bit of the dressing to moisten.
- Divide the arugula onto individual serving plates. Top with a bit of the seasoned chicken followed by some orange slices. Drizzle each plate with a bit more dressing to taste and then scatter the almonds and pumpkin seeds over each salad as a topping. Serve immediately.
