Spring Salad With Crispy Chicken And Bacony Croutons Recipes

CHICKEN AND ESCAROLE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook without moving until the pieces are golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until well browned on the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and tilt the skillet a little so that the fat and drippings pool on one side. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle a bit to melt down. Add the croutons, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss them to coat in the anchovy-chicken fat.
• Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and croutons are golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the grated garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Place escarole and parsley in a large bowl or on a platter and dress with lemon-garlic mixture. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if you like. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and shave some pecorino over the whole thing.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest a minute or two. Cut the meat off the bone and thinly slice. Place on top of the salad, along with the croutons. Top each serving with an egg yolk, if using, and more anchovies, if you like.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH CRISPY WONTONS

Steps:

• Lightly spritz both sides of wonton strips with cooking spray; place on a baking sheet. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn strips over; broil 2-3 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool., For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, chicken, peppers and tomatoes. Just before serving, drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Top with wonton strips.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH CRISP BACON

Steps:

• Mix the ingredients for the dressing with a little seasoning. Stir in the chicken and loosen with water if necessary.
• Slowly cook the bacon in a large frying pan until crisp and the fat has run out. Drain on kitchen paper. Meanwhile, mix the onion with the oil, vinegar and seasoning.
• Toss the onion with the watercress, chicory and cucumber, then pile onto a platter. Spoon the chicken on top, then break or chop the bacon over the top of that. Serve with crusty bread.

CRISPY WONTON CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peach preserves, mayonnaise, soy sauce, chili powder and onion powder, and season to taste with salt.
• Prepare the salad: Add the chicken to the dressing and toss.
• To fry the wonton wrappers, cut the squares into 1/2-inch strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise to shorten them. In a medium saucepan, heat an inch of oil over medium to 350 degrees, or until a wonton strip immediately bubbles when added. Carefully add the wonton strips to the hot oil and, stirring constantly with a slotted spoon, fry until puffy and golden, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Transfer the crispy wontons to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
• Assemble the salad: Add the chopped romaine, scallions, cilantro, mint and half of the fried wontons to the bowl with the dressed chicken, and toss to combine. Season with salt as needed. Top with the remaining fried wontons and serve immediately.

CRISPY CROUTON SALAD

Steps:

• Place bread cubes in a single layer in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 450° for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring twice. Cool., In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, yellow pepper and basil. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with croutons.