To make this roasted chicken and bread salad, you’ll need:
- A few slices of sourdough bread, cut or torn into large pieces, for the croutons
- ½ of a leftover roast chicken, shredded and cold
- 5-6 cups of fresh lettuce, cut irregularly
- Radicchio, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Dates, pitted and chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- Toasted pine nuts, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, broken into chunks with a knife, to taste
If you have time the night before, I recommend shredding your leftover roast chicken while it’s still warm. Not only will it be easier, but it’ll also save you time while making the salad.
If you’re looking for a good chicken recipe, you can try this “engagement roast chicken” that Meghan swears by.
“I have done it so many times; I can do it with my eyes closed,” she says during the “With Love, Meghan” episode. “I roasted a chicken the night my husband proposed to me. Roast chicken is what we served at our wedding. I make it at least once a week.”
For the vinaigrette, you’ll need:
- 3 ripe passion fruit, the fruit and the seeds
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly squeezed juice from one lemon
- A splash of persimmon vinegar
- Honey, to taste
As you’ll see, many ingredients don’t have precise measurements listed alongside them. This was how the recipe was written, not my attempt to make your life harder!
If you’ve read Nosrat’s cookbook, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” you’ll know she is a big proponent of tasting every step of your recipe. It’s a great reminder for this dish, which is all about playing with different textures.
My advice is to layer the salad carefully and thoughtfully. How many dates do you need before the bite becomes too sticky? How much Parmesan is required for a satisfyingly salty bite?
