Sandi is blogging from the WhistleStop Cafe kitchen. It's all about good home cooking; food, family and fun. Thousands of posts . . .

~In the south and around the world.



Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sunday Summer Salad

This salad is a favorite of Marcia at Happy Trails to Us another fun slow travel blog. I am so glad she posted this one, the Tarragon Pesto is awesome!
This makes a hearty salad... perfect for these miserable hot summer days.
I did change it up a little~ I have a hard time following rules. Especially with salads! I used a spring salad mix, and quickly grilled some chicken breasts with WhistleStop marinade and olive oil. No bread for me, and some beautiful yellow summer tomatoes on the side. As I said, the pesto is the star of this dish... I followed Marcia's directions on that. I whipped it up in my favorite magic bullet.
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Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto
1/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, divided
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons chopped shallot
6 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing
4 boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style French or sourdough bread
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers
To make the Pesto: Place 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, parsley, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and shallot in mini processor; chop coarsely. With machine running, gradually add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil by teaspoonfuls to thin, if necessary.
Whisk 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon, remaining 4 teaspoons lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until grill marks form, skin is crisp, and chicken is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; let rest 5 minutes.
Toss salad with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates. Cut grilled chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange 1 sliced chicken breast atop salad on each plate. Spoon tarragon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts over salads. Serve with grilled bread slices. As I said~ the tarragon pesto is wonderful. I have some left over and will use it on pork or maybe on grilled salmon.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

5 comments:

Lori Lynn said...

Tarragon is by far my favorite herb, I can't wait to try this pesto.
Your plating is lovely.
LL

theUngourmet said...

I haven't tried fresh tarragon. I would love to try this salad. It is perfect for summer!

Baked Alaska said...

I loved this salad also, the tarragon pesto was so flavorful. I made one big substitution on mine-I used sockeye salmon instead of chicken. The fish was great with the tarragon pesto.

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Lori~ from the Queen of 'pretty plating' that is a compliment.
Ungourmet~ I love fresh herbs and use them whenever I can. It makes such an ungourmet difference!
Cindy Ruth~ I said I was going to try it on salmon... great minds think alike :-)

Amy J said...

Have never thought of using tarragon in pesto! Great idea, can't wait to try!

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