Twenty Five Minute Meals: Chopped Salad Edition

Twenty Five Minute Meals: Chopped Salad Edition 

Twenty Five Minute Meals: Chopped Salad Edition 

I'm one of those people who believes that we eat with all five of our senses; we smell the aromas of the meals as they are being prepared, we see the plates visually before we consume them, we hear the sizzle or simmer of the food as it cooks, we touch the ingredients as we prepare meals and we touch the food as we eat. When we have a meal that stimulates all of our senses as we eat, that makes our dining experience that much more pleasurable. The chopped salad recipe included below does just that, it is pleasing to all of the senses with its variety of fresh ingredients with each bite you are greeted by different taste, and textures. I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss the five senses so I'll stop my yammering and get to the food.

Total Cooking Time: 25 Minutes

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

Two Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast ( I like to flatten them a little so that they cook faster)

1 Whole cucumber

2 Whole Tomatoes

3 Boiled Eggs

1 Whole Red Bell Pepper

1 Bag of Pre-Washed Salad Mix

Cheese (Optional) 

Dressing (Optional) 

Sauteed Chicken Breast

*Cooking Tip* Start boiling your eggs before you begin your salad prep

1.Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until warm. 

2.Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place them in the pan. 

3.Cook, turning once, until firm to the touch, about 5-6 minutes per side.  (you want to cook the chicken evenly but the less you move it around the better the color you get on the chicken during cooking, which allows for better presentation)

4.Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate. 

5. Let chicken breast rest for a few minutes, then chop into bite sized pieces.

6.Chop the remaining salad ingredients so that they are all cubed shaped and roughly the same size, keep items all separate until you are ready to assemble salad. 

Assembling your salad

1. First place your chopped salad mix on you plate, the one by one add you ingredients in individual columns as pictured above. I chose to arrange my ingredients so that ingredients with complementary colors were placed next to each other. (yes I put that much thought into my food, I like my meals to looks as good as they taste). Once you have the items arranged as you would like, garnish a piece of lemon or and  your Chopped Salad is ready to be eaten, but first take a picture for instagram.

A salad like this does not need to be drowned in dressing in order to be enjoy, in fact I would suggest dressing it very lightly so that you will still get the flavor of the ingredients. Here is a video I found on YouTube featuring Chef Gordon Ramsey preparing a lovely light vinaigrette. ( This video is the property of the actual owner and is only presented here for informational purposes. 

I would have a salad like this for dinner lunch, its really filling, healthy, and of course delicious. It offers a wonderful presentation and is sure to impress your family and friends without a tremendous effort on your part. What are your favorite salad ingredients? Do you make your own dressings? Comment below.