Want to be cliché together and enjoy a Monday salad?
Of course you do!
This isn’t a boring salad—I promise. Just look at that color.
In the summer I’m definitely a salad fan. It’s too hot to spend hours over a stove, and sometimes even grilling feels like too much. So we eat a lot of salads—big, fully loaded salads that are meals in themselves.
Oddly enough, a salad like this is comfort food for me. It’s not exactly veggie-forward, but that’s part of the appeal.
The chicken is simple: lightly breaded and baked using an easy chicken-finger method. Baking it this way keeps the meat juicy and prevents that dry texture you sometimes get with baked chicken. Yes, you do have to turn on the oven for a little while in the heat, but it’s quick and you can make the chicken a day ahead. It’s also great cold.
My must-haves for a calm, happy salad:
- Cherry tomatoes—halved for easy bites, not big slices.
- Crispy, crunchy bacon pieces that lift the whole salad.
- Cucumber half-moons (just because “half moons” is fun to say).
- Quick pickled red onions—my current obsession. I make them often and add them to tacos, nachos, salads and even pizza. They’re so much better than plain raw red onion slices.
Let’s talk dressing. I usually prefer a simple oil-and-vinegar, but my Greek yogurt Caesar-style dressing is a favorite I remake often. For this salad I shifted it to a more parmesan-forward dressing—less anchovy and garlic, more cheesy tang.
So: this salad or a giant cheese plate all summer long. I’ll take both.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salads
Yield:
2 to 4
1 hr
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Ingredients
- quick pickled onions (see instructions)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Salad components:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup seasoned fine bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons flour (any kind)
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 seedless cucumber, sliced
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- Extra freshly grated parmesan for sprinkling
- Greek yogurt parmesan dressing (see below)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 5 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
Quick pickled onions
- Place the sliced onions in a jar or cup. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Pour the mixture over the onions and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Store in the fridge in a sealed container once cooled.
Chicken & salad
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the eggs in one bowl. In a second bowl, combine the panko, fine breadcrumbs, parmesan and flour. Dip each chicken piece in the egg, then press into the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place on the prepared rack. Spray each piece lightly with oil spray for a golden crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes, flip gently, then bake 15 more minutes. Remove, let rest briefly, then slice.
- To assemble salads, toss the romaine, tomatoes and cucumber with a pinch of salt and pepper. Top with chicken slices, bacon pieces and pickled onions. Drizzle with dressing and finish with extra parmesan. Serve immediately.
Greek yogurt parmesan dressing
- Add the garlic, yogurt, parmesan, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Notes
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(I pick both.)