Salad topped with chicken is a healthful staple so commonplace, it is more likely to elicit yawns than excitement. But approached differently, it is transformed into an enticing entree that’s anything but ordinary.
Here, the dish is turned upside down, with the salad on top of the chicken. That 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. To get that 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 might need a little more pounding to get to the desired thickness. After brushing the chicken with a balsamic vinaigrette, just grill it, 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.
Like the chicken, the salad gets the vinaigrette treatment, which mellows the greens, highlights the fruit and links the salad and poultry.
Balsamic Chicken
With Watercress and Nectarine Salad
4 servings
You can substitute another leafy green, such as baby kale or arugula, or a different stone fruit, such as peaches or plums.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1¼ pounds total), tenderloins and visible fat removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 to 3½ ounces (1 bunch) fresh watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (about 2½ cups lightly packed)
1 medium ripe nectarine, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
½ small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
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 between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound each one to about ¼ inch. (You can also ask the butcher to do that.)
Whisk the oil, 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 a quarter of the salad, and serve right away.
Per serving: 280 calories, 33 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 105 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar
