Dijon Chicken with Balsamic Greens

Growing up, I never really enjoyed salads, and that isn’t any less true as an adult. In fact, when at a restaurant I often found myself pushing the lettuce around the plate after eating all of the toppings like the tomatoes and croutons. So when I find a salad recipe that is simple and enjoyable, it’s hard not to get excited.

This greens salad is the perfect contrast for chicken with a creamy dijon sauce, and, if you can’t skip out on the garlic bread, a few pieces of delicious garlic butter-covered ciabatta.

Serving size: 2

What you will need:

1 clove garlic
1 ciabatta roll
olive oil
butter
chicken stock
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 oz crushed walnuts
2.5 oz red grapes
10 oz chicken cutlets (aka, 2 chicken cutlets)
2 tsp dijon mustard
mixed greens
5 tsp balsamic vinegar

Prep the garlic bread

Start by slicing the ciabatta roll in half and then cutting each slice diagonally. If you’re a big fan of garlic bread like I am, you can increase the amount of butter and garlic to accommodate more ciabatta.

Peel and mince garlic, melt in with 2 tbsps of butter in a bowl. Once melted and mixed, place the ciabatta on a baking sheet and spread the garlic butter evenly. Preheat the oven to a low broil, and set the garlic bread aside for now.

Cook chicken

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is warm, place in both chicken cutlets, making sure they are amply spaced. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned on the outside and cooked thoroughly on the inside. Once done, typically in 3 – 5 minutes which can vary on the thickness of the chicken cutlets, transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board.

Prepare the sauce

In the same pan, using any leftover olive oil or juices (I love this because you don’t have to dirty a new pan or clean the one you’ve already used), add in the remaining minced garlic for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in 1/4 cup water and stock concentrate, and heat until mixed thoroughly.

Now you will add in the sour cream, as much dijon mustard as you prefer (start with a little bit and work your way up depending on how much zest and flavor you prefer), and 1 tbsp of plain butter.

Time for the salad

This part is easy, start by crushing all of the walnuts, if you didn’t buy them pre-crushed, and cutting the grapes into smaller pieces — for me, I prefer to spread the grapes out as much as possible so I cut them into three pieces. Mix the grapes and walnuts in with the greens, and add vinegar and olive oil to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

If you’re like me, I’m always skeptical of having fruit in my salad, but I was surprised with how well the grapes paired with the vinegar and oil dressing and I was happy I gave it a shot. If you end up not liking it, you can just pick them out later because they aren’t very small — which is what I ended up doing with the walnuts.

Finishing up

Now it’s time to finish up so you can get to eating — the good part. Slide the garlic-buttered ciabatta into the oven to crisp it up a bit, and make sure to keep a close eye on it as it can burn easily; this should only take a few seconds.

As you wait, separate the salad into two portions, plate the chicken with a hefty drizzle of dijon sauce, and once your garlic bread is crispy enough, pop it onto the plate and you’re done!

This quick meal should take about 20 minutes, and offers a diet-friendly 630 calories per serving.