Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apples, Spiced Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium)
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups)
- 8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped or sliced thin
- ½ red onion, sliced thin
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup spiced pecans, store-bought or following the simple recipe below
Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup cranberry juice or water
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup red wine or raspberry vinegar
- 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Quick Spiced Pecans:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- For the chicken and salad, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water, and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, letting it poach, until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly before carving.
- Toss the lettuce, cheese, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries together. Divide the salad among the serving plates. Slice the chicken on a diagonal and arrange over the salad. Serve with the vinaigrette. I prefer to let everyone douse their own salad with dressing, but you could toss the salad with 1/2 cup or so of the vinaigrette before assembling it on the plates and serve the extra dressing on the side.
- For the pecans, melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the spices and then the pecans. Toast the nuts, stirring often, until the color deepens slightly and they are lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and toss with the sugar. Let them cool completely before tossing with the salad.
- For the dressing, combine the cranberry juice (or water) and cranberries in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for one minute until hot. Process the hot cranberry mixture, vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender until the shallot and garlic are finely chopped. With the blender running, add the oil and continue to blend until the dressing is smooth and well-combined. Thin the dressing, if needed, with additional cranberry juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.