Chicken Citrus Salad

Posted by Against All Grain on September 8, 2011 · 1 Comment

One of my favorite salads is my spinach mango salad, but since I was out of spinach and mango, I decided to come up with something else inspired by it. It turned out pretty good if you ask my husband and me!

Any citrus will work for the dressing and marinade, but you definitely don’t want to skip the fresh orange slices. If you don’t know how to segment an orange, just search on youtube for a tutorial. It’s super easy and makes the orange slices melt in your mouth since they’ve been separated from the tougher membrane.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 orange, juiced
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chile powder
salt and pepper

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil

For the Salad:

2 oranges, segmented
1 avocado, cubed
1 heirloom tomato, diced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted on the stove over medium heat until browned
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
2 cups arugula
2 cups butter lettuce
salt and pepper

Directions

Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Grill each breast over medium heat until the thickest part reaches 170 degrees with a meat thermometer. Slice and set aside to cool for 5 minutes so the lettuce doesn’t wilt.

Mix all of the dressing ingredients, except for the olive oil. In a constant, slow stream, begin to whisk in the oil until well incorporated.

Assemble the salad ingredients, then add freshly sliced chicken. Slowly add the dressing over top, being careful not to overdress it (you may not use all that you made, just adjust to your tastes). Sprinkle a pinch of salt and ground pepper over the top then toss to mix.
Enjoy!