Salad topped with chicken is a healthful staple so commonplace, it is more likely to elicit yawns than excitement. But approached from a different angle, it is transformed into an enticing entree that’s anything but ordinary. Here that angle is 180 degrees different: The dish is turned upside down, with the salad piled on top of the chicken. That simple plating switch-up gives the meal a flair that makes it immediately more interesting and compelling, more like one you might find at an upscale bistro rather than a roadside diner.
The chicken is pounded thin in the French paillard style, making it an ample-size bed for the salad. There are a few options for achieving that appealing thinness. You can buy regular boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and use a mallet to pound them; ask your butcher to do it for you; or buy grocery-store packages of chicken breast labeled “thin cut,” which, depending on how thin they are, might need just a bit of pounding to get to the desired thickness. After brushing the chicken with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, just grill it up, which takes less than five minutes.
The salad, a mix of peppery watercress, sweet, juicy nectarine and thinly sliced red onion, is a welcome change from the usual lettuce-and-tomato combo. Plus, it provides a delightful way to make the most of late-summer fruit and the leafy green that tops the list of powerhouse produce (per a study at William Paterson University). That said, you could easily substitute a different leafy green, like baby kale or arugula, or another stone fruit, such as peach or plum.
Like the chicken, the salad gets the sweet-tangy balsamic vinaigrette treatment, which serves to mellow the greens, highlight the fruit and link the salad and poultry, flavorwise. The result is an extraordinary meal that just might become your new regular.
Balsamic chicken with watercress and nectarine salad
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/4 pounds total), tenderloins and visible fat removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 to 31/2 ounces (1 bunch) fresh watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (about 21/2 cups lightly packed)
1 medium ripe nectarine, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/2 small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
Note: Feel free to substitute another leafy green, such as baby kale or arugula, or a different stone fruit, such as peaches or plums.
Prepare the grill for direct heat: If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high (400 degrees) with the lid closed. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal or wood briquettes; when the briquettes are ready, distribute them evenly over the cooking area. For a medium-hot fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 6 inches above the coals for 4 to 6 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames. Brush the grill grate.
Place the chicken breast halves between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound each one to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. (You can also ask the butcher to do that.)
Whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a liquid measuring cup to form an emulsified dressing. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the dressing to a bowl; use it to brush the chicken all over. (Reserve the rest of the dressing for the salad; discard any dressing left over from brushing the chicken.)
Place the chicken on the grill. Cook (uncovered) for about 1 minute per side or until just cooked through, with light char marks. Transfer to a plate.
Toss the watercress, nectarines and onion with the reserved dressing in a large bowl. Divide the chicken evenly among individual plates. Top each portion with one-quarter of the salad, and serve right away.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition 5/8 Per serving: 280 calories, 33g protein, 5g carbohydrates, 14g fat, 3g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 0g dietary fiber, 4g sugar
Ellie Krieger’s most recent cookbook is “Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.
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