Harvest Salad with Walnut-Crusted Chicken

Janelle has cooked up something healthy for us and I can't wait to make this myself. Janelle says "This may be the most beautiful salad I have ever laid my eyes on! Pair it with crusty bread and warm mulled apple cider and you will have the perfect menu for an amazing luncheon with the ladies."

Harvest Salad with Walnut-Crusted Chicken

Spring lettuce mix, pears, apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, cucumber, blue cheese.

Cut your cucumbers, apples, and pears in desired shapes. I like to cut apples and cucumbers in small squares and my pears lengthwise purely for aesthetics.


Place apples in a separate dish and squeeze some fresh lemon on top and mix together well- this will prevent them from browning.

Place about 2 -2 1/2 cups of your lettuce mixture in individual bowls.

Sprinkle with apples, cucumbers, lay pears in a decorative pattern if desired, add 1/4 cup of dried cranberries- do this to each salad plate.


"Crumble" your blue cheese by cutting it with a sharp knife. You also may buy pre-crumbled. Where I live, cheese comes in bulk..haha.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of blue cheese onto each individual salad and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. VEGETARIANS- you may STOP here! This is a beautiful, delicious, amazing salad! CARNIVORES you may continue!


The making of walnut/panko crusted chicken: 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, walnuts, egg whites, panko, olive oil Pam, salt and pepper.

What is Panko? It is an ultra fine breadcrumb that uses only the bread without the crust. It is a typical breadcrumb used in Asian cuisine, however it is becoming a staple in Western cuisine for the crispy/light texture it gives in recipes.

Pound 1 cup of walnuts to a refined state. I place my walnuts in a strong ziploc bag and use a metal mallet- you can also use a food processor for the same desired consistency.

In a separate bowl add 2 egg whites. I crack my egg and toss the yolk back and forth into the 2 egg shells, the whites fall into the bowl and the yolk is preserved in the shells.

In another bowl place 1 cup of flower. (This step is optional but it allows you to have thicker crust. This is called "dredging". I first cover 2 sides with flour - it is a very minimal amount).

Then dip chicken on both sides with egg whites (if you do not dredge your chicken this will be the first step).

Then, toss chicken into the panko/walnut mixture to coat.

Lay on lined and "pammed" foil.

Spray the top of the chicken with Pam. This will allow the chicken to brown in the oven without having to fry it.

Cook chicken approximately 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.

The Dressing Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

This is what one garlic clove looks like taken off of the head. I cut the tips off of the garlic clove and peel. Then I simply chop it up with a knife.

If the idea of using fresh garlic scares you (which to many people it does!) you can certainly use the jarred kind- you will find this in the produce section of your grocery store. It is not as fragrant, but it still works well.

Whisk all the ingredients together.

Drizzle on the dressing, slice the chicken breast and lay it on top! Enjoy!

Harvest Salad with Walnut-Crusted Chicken
This recipe makes 4 individual servings.

Salad Base
8-10 cups of mixed greens
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cucumber
2 green apples
2 pears
1 cup crumbled blue cheese


Chicken
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko
1 cup walnuts-pounded or processed
1 cup flour
2 egg whites
Salt and Pepper
Pam


Dressing- combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate
1 cup olive oil
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 garlic clove minced
salt and freshly ground pepper


Preheat oven to 400


Place 2-2 ½ cups mixed greens into individual bowls. Peel and dice cucumbers, and apples, slice pears. Place on top of mixed greens in each bowl. Add ¼ cup cranberries, ¼ cup of blue cheese and ¼ cup of walnuts to each serving. Set aside


In 3 bowls- bowl #1 add 1 cup flour, bowl #2 add 2 whisked egg whites, bowl #3 add a mixture of 1 cup Panko ,1 cup pounded walnuts, salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in this bowl order. Place dredged chicken on prepared (foil lined and pammed) sheet pan. Spray chicken with Pam and bake for 30 mins or until juices run clear. Slice and place on top of salad and drizzle with dressing.

Walk with the King!

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