Recipe

Warm Bread Salad with Chicken and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 8

This tasty salad is inspired by the Italian panzanella, a traditional salad made with bread and tomatoes. Its prizewinning flavour is thanks to oven-roasted tomatoes and briny spiced olives.

Ingredients

Warm Bread Salad with Chicken and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pinch

pepper, pinch

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil

4 cups (1 L) baguette or ciabatta rolls, torn in pieces

10 cups (2.5 L) Romaine lettuce, washed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces

8 cups (2 L) watercress, trimmed

1/3 cup (75 mL) basil, fresh

1/3 cup (75 mL) red onions, thinly sliced

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes:

8 plum tomatoes

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) pepper

Spicy Olives:

1 1/3 cups (325 mL) mixed olives

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) hot red chili pepper flakes

Vinaigrette:

3/4 cups (175 mL) extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup (75 mL) lemon juice

1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) pepper

Instructions

Warm Bread Salad with Chicken and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

1 Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

2 In large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry chicken, turning once, for 20 minutes or until golden and internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).

3 Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into bite-size pieces.

4 Add oven roasted tomatoes, chicken and spicy olives to bread; toss to combine. Add romaine, watercress, basil, onion and remaining vinaigrette; toss to again.

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

1 Core tomatoes; cut into ¼ -inch (5 mm) thick slices. Arrange in single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2 Roast in top and bottom thirds of 300°F (150°C) oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until slightly browned and shriveled, about 1 ½ hours.

Spicy Olives

1 In a small saucepan, heat together olives, oil and hot pepper flakes over low heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Vinaigrette

1 In bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. In large serving bowl, toss ¼ cup (60 mL) of the vinaigrette with torn bread; let stand for 15 minutes.