Kale Chicken Salad


If you are reading this, it means that you survived the cruel heatwave that swept over our now withering nation. Over the 4th of July holiday our family huddled under the refuge of our air conditioned home, a comfortable bubble where we were privileged to front row seats to our neighbor's spectacular fireworks show. While Alex and I were ooohing and ahhhing over the blooming firecrackers, my husband was stomping up and down the house, "Our roof is going to catch fire!" Well we survived that too.

Despite the heat we were brave enough to turn on the oven for a few minutes to make the special garlic parmesan croutons that worked magic for this kale chicken salad - kale that we proudly grew in our backyard. A little bit of protein, bread, a bowlful of hearty baby kale, and lots of flavor from the zesty lemon and anchovies dressing, makes this is terrific light summer meal. 


Kale Chicken Salad
From Food and Wine | June 2012
Ingredients
  • Four 4-by- 1/2-inch slices peasant bread
  • 2 garlic cloves—1 peeled, 1 minced
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 ounce)
  • 4 anchovies, minced
  • 3 tablespoons malt vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 pound Tuscan kale—stems trimmed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise or baby kale
  • Two 3-ounce jars cocktail onions, drained and halved
  • 3 cups shredded chicken
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until crisp. Rub the hot toast with the peeled garlic clove, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cheese and bake for 10 minutes longer, until the cheese browns. Let cool, then break into 1-inch croutons.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the anchovies, minced garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Whisk in the oil; season the dressing with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large bowl, toss the kale with 6 tablespoons of the dressing. Let stand for 3 minutes. Add the onions, chicken, croutons and remaining dressing. Toss and serve.

27 comments:

  1. aah I think Im in love of Alex, he is sooo cute!!

    Love your salad look delicious!

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  2. Looks like another lovely meal. Nice to have neighbors with their on private fireworks display!

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  3. Glad you survived the heat wave. Alex must have loved the fireworks. Chicken salad is on our menu often for lunch and kale certainly lends a healthy twist to our normal baby lettuce mix. Your photo makes it a work of art.
    Sam

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  4. it's funny, in the US everyone is having trouble with too much heat, but here in the uk, we haven't had much of a summer at all. more cold spells and rain. I have been doing more roasts and soups instead of salads :/ but this salad looks so clean and fresh I feel inspired to do a sald for lunch later instead. first time here, love the fresh clean look of your blog, and the focus on local seasonal food!

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  5. A light and delicious salad. That's a great click of sweet Alex.

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  6. So over the heat! Love the salad, though!

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  7. Beautiful salad. Love the addition of malt vinegar. Must get more of that! Also, very cool to grow your own Kale. It feels so rewarding to pull dinner up from one's yard and tastes like a million bucks. Bravo.

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  8. It's so hard to concentrate on the food w/ his beautiful.. gorgeous..innocent ,sweet profile on the same page:)

    That is one grand photo.
    I love him too.

    Yes and the salad w/ kale? Great idea:)

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  9. PS..I would have been oohing and aahing w/ my children and my husband would have been doing the same as your husband.

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  10. We are wilting too here in the southeast. Where did it become okay to be triple digits so early in the summer season...We will stay cool, you do the same.

    Alex is growing leaps and bounds. Precious.

    Happy 4th of July to you. What a great healthy, healthy, healthy and healthy again light summer meal.

    Velva

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  11. Alex is so, so precious. Your picture is amazing. I love the sound of this salad. So healthy and delicious too.

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  12. Great Salad! I know I'll love it :) I am a very picky cheese eater, of the few I like Parmigiano is one of them.

    Have a wonderful week.

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  13. How great that you grew the kale in your garden! I'm doing the same, with some very good, and some mixed results. It's not the prettiest garden ever, but it is tasty!

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  14. I wish I could grow kale. How great to be able to pick you own! It looks delicious in this salad. And, I hope the heat wave is over for this year.

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  15. Gorgeous photo of the little fellow! Beautiful delicious looking lunch and the cheese toasts look equally as delectable!
    :)
    V

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  16. gorgeous photo of the baby, and the salad:) Looks lovely!

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  17. I've never seen baby kale for sale before, but I wish I did! I bet it works so great in a salad like this. Maybe once I have a larger garden I can grow some. Lovely salad.

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  18. Yes, it has been a scorching hot summer so far. I am glad to hear you and your roof survived the holiday weekend! Yay for growing your own kale. I am sure that it was wonderful. :-)

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  19. I grew kale one yr in my garden..i had so much i ran out of recipes! would have like this one!

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  20. that heat wave was brutal--thank goodness we have had rain here all week, and the plants and trees have revived. Mother Nature can be very forgiving!
    Delicious Summer Salad,
    Darling Boy!

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  21. A fabulous salad, but what I enjoy the most is the baby;s close-up! Great photos Christine!!!

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  22. This sounds like a salad I would love and how wonderful that the kale came from your garden!

    I was beastly hot here over the 3rd and 4th and we can to cancel plans to see the fireworks display at the Lake Michigan lakefront. More hot weather headed our way tomorrow and Tuesday :(

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  23. Sounds like a perfect salad! Nothing better than using homegrown produce in a salad!

    I love the second photo! :)

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  24. No heatwave here in Norcal, East Bay, in fact its been positively wintry. Love the addition of anchovies in your salad!

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