RECIPES

Warm Bread Salad with Chicken and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

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.

Prep Time

20M

Cook Time

30M

Serves

8

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
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
  • 1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) pepper

Instructions

  1. Warm Bread Salad with Chicken and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
    1. 1 Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
    2. 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. 3 Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into bite-size pieces.
    4. 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.
  2. Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
    1. 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. 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.
  3. Spicy Olives
    1. 1 In a small saucepan, heat together olives, oil and hot pepper flakes over low heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
  4. Vinaigrette
    1. 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.
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