Cherry and Butter Lettuce Salad

You'll have to excuse the picture, I took this to work today and had adapted this picture to be vegetarian, but took no picture.  For now you have to pretend the chicken is not in the picture.  I love the flavors of the dill and dijon in the dressing, and thought it might work....so I tried it for a pot luck today on the first day back at work.  When I found the picture I (listen to the gasp) realized I forgot the radishes, that's what happens when you try to cook at 6:30 a.m.!  I guess that means the radishes aren't that important, although I found them to be a tasty addition.  When fresh cherries aren't available I plan to try with dried.

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 Tablespoons honey  

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Put  first 5 ingredients in jar, add oil, shake.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Salad Ingredients:

5 ounces of Goat Cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup of candied pecans (Trader Joe's) broken into pieces

4 thick slices of rustic bread, torn (or cut) into 3/4 inch pieces

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted and lightly crushed (I used about 1 1/2 cups)

2 bags of butter lettuce, cored and torn into pieces 

4 radishes 

2 tablespoons of chives

Directions:

Spray bread with Pam and toast in oven to make croutons.

Remove chicken skin and bone, tear into pieces.  Place cherries, lettuce, radishes,  pecans, and goat cheese in bowl.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.  Sprinkle with croutons and chives.  

Printable Recipe

Butter Lettuce, Chicken and Cherry Salad

This has become my go to salad this summer.  My wonderful friend Candace made it for us for lunch we we were finally able to visit her new home while visiting Orange County earlier this summer.  She is so much better than me about reading a new recipe in a magazine and then making it!  It was so yummy I dug out the magazine and bought the ingredients at our local produce market and made it the night we arrived home.  I can imagine it in the winter with dried cherries and without the chicken with goat cheese as a side salad, the dressing really helps make this tasty.

Serves 4

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 Tablespoons honey  

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk first 5 ingredients together, gradually whisk in oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Salad Ingredients:  ( I halved these, using one head of lettuce and about 1 cup of cherries for two of us)

4 chicken thighs, grilled

4 thick slices of rustic bread, torn (or cut) into 3/4 inch pieces

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted and lightly crushed

3 heads of butter lettuce, cored and torn into pieces 

4 radishes 

1 tablespoon chives

Directions:

Spray bread with Pam and toast in oven to make croutons.

Remove chicken skin and bone, tear into pieces.  Place chicken in large bowl and cherries, lettuce, radishes and chives.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.  Sprinkle with croutons and chives.  

Printable Recipe

This recipe is adapted with fat reduced from Epicurious