Chicken Salad Recipe with Swiss Chard

Salad Recipes I Love

I’m going to share a few of my favorite salad recipes this month.  I won’t lie, I’m not a huge salad fan – it takes too long to chop everything up.  Don’t get me wrong, I love salads when someone else makes them, it just seems like most salad recipes have too many ingredients and take too long to make.

But, I needed to clean up my diet a bit so salads are a great option.  I started working with a variation of greens, like Swiss chard and kale along with the more traditional spinach, mixed greens and romaine.  Next I worked on how few ingredients do I really need to make great tasting salad recipes.  Finally, how to add a protein quickly for things like a chicken salad recipe.

This week I’m adding a chicken salad recipe for you.

Salad Tips

For the quickest salads I recommend precooking your protein or having it easily available.  I precook a few chicken breasts with just salt and pepper so I can chop them for a chicken salad recipe or eat them on a sandwich, in a tortilla, with eggs for breakfast – they are super versatile for lots of options.  Or purchased canned tuna or smoked salmon – something that is easy to add to your salads quickly.

Next, pre-cut some of your main vegetables – again quick and easy.

Use a variety of greens in your salads so you don’t get bored.  Plus throw in some sunflower pea sprouts for great crunch.  Here I’ve used Swiss chard.  Don’t be afraid of raw chard – it’s very delightful.  The only tips you need when using Swiss chard are these: if you don’t like a bitter taste remove the stems and ribs; massage and let the Swiss chard sit so the leaves soften.

You can use this recipe as a full meal or a side dish.

Swiss Chard Salad  

Ingredients

• ½-1 shallot
• 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• fresh ground black or white pepper
• 6 radishes
• 1+ cup sunflower sprouts
• 2 Tbsp. dried cranberries or dried fruit of choice
• 2 Tbsp. dried cherries or dried fruit of choice
• ¼ cup cashews or nuts of choice
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Mince the shallot and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
2. Chop the Swiss chard. Remove ribs to decrease bitter flavor or chop very thinly.
3. Wash the Swiss chard very well and spin dry.
4. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, pepper, and shallot. Pour over Swiss chard; massage for about 15 seconds.
5. Thinly slice radishes. Chop dried fruit.  Coarsely chop nuts.
6. Add all remaining ingredients and toss lightly to combine.