Portuguese Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
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Coarse kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ear fresh corn, shucked, rinsed
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, sliced
1 large, ripe tomato, rinsed, sliced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
1 bunch green leaf lettuce, rinsed, spun dry
1 small bunch fresh baby spinach, stemmed, rinsed, spun dry
Parmigiano Reggiano, for garnish
Directions:
Pound chicken to ½-inch thickness. In a large dish, stir together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add chicken, coat both sides, cover, and chill 1 hour.
Bring corn to a boil in enough water to cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove corn and set aside.
Preheat grill. Pat chicken dry, discard marinade, and transfer chicken and corn to the grill. Cook chicken 5 minutes, turn it over, and cook 5 minutes more. Repeat, cooking 4 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees. Rotate corn until blistered, then cool.
Arrange greens on two large plates. Slice chicken and divide between plates. Arrange tomato and egg next to the greens, slice corn from cob, and nestle it by the chicken. Add blue cheese, drizzle salads with Lemon Vinaigrette, season with ground pepper, and garnish with grated cheese.
Yield: 2 large salads
Lemon Vinaigrette
Stir together ½ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and salt and pepper, to taste.
What comes to mind when you see chicken salad listed on a menu? A scoop of chopped chicken, celery, and onion bound together with mayonnaise and arranged on lettuce leaves, or perhaps a bowl of crisp romaine lettuce dressed in vinaigrette, topped with cubes of poached chicken, croutons, and grated parmesan cheese.
On a recent trip to Portugal, I discovered menus often featured chicken salad, especially in sidewalk cafes. These eateries varied from a few tables squeezed onto an already-narrow sidewalk to expansive dining under huge umbrellas on wide plazas commonly situated in the center of boulevards where waiters delivered plates to tables whenever there was a pause in the steady stream of traffic.
From Lisbon to Fatima, Pinhao, and Porto, I ordered chicken salad during lunch to satisfy my appetite and curiosity about the Portuguese version, not to mention as an antidote to the weight I acquired during a 12-day transatlantic cruise that preceded our arrival in Portugal.
In each case, I was served a composed salad arranged in a mouthwatering display. The chicken breast was pounded to varying degrees of thickness, grilled and sliced, and was moist and tender.
Salad greens commonly featured romaine or green leaf lettuce so fresh and crisp it barely needed vinaigrette. The tomatoes were always deep red with straight-from-the-garden flavor.
Sliced hard-cooked eggs and crumbled blue cheese appeared in every salad and in one restaurant, the chef added tender kernels of corn for color and texture.
The salads I enjoyed in Portugal were cool and refreshing, so it should come as no surprise I’m dreaming of them now that our North Texas summer heat is here to stay.
I’ve combined my favorite aspects of each in this month’s recipe for Portuguese chicken salad — crisp green leaf lettuce, tender baby spinach, ruby red tomato, corn, sliced egg, blue cheese, and grilled chicken breast.
I’ve tweaked my version here and there by marinating the chicken in a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped garlic to capture the flavors of a lemon vinaigrette I tasted in Portugal.
Capitalizing on the flavor and color imparted by grilling vegetables, I simmered an ear of corn for 10 minutes, then finished it on the grill while the chicken cooked. Chicken breasts were smaller in Portugal than what I find in our local markets, so I sliced my chicken in half after grilling because it was enough for two portions.
You’ll also find lemon vinaigrette in my version in a nod to an inspired Portuguese chef who knew it would make his chicken salad absolutely sing!
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime Park Cities and Preston Hollow resident. Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube. Visit christyrost.com.
