We’ve got a great salad recipe for you that’s perfect for a weeknight meal or for entertaining. How? You can totally flex it to the amount of time you have. For example, in this recipe I’ve suggested using my BEST ever grilled chicken, but if you don’t have time to grill some chicken, any chicken (even leftovers) will do!
What does make this salad extra special are the grilled sweet onions. I’m a huge fan of Vidalia, Walla Walla, and Texas 1015 sweet onions, and when they’re grilled—mmmm…well they taste like heaven on earth. 🙂 So I just slice a couple of them, let them sit in my white wine marinade for 30 minutes to an hour, and then cook ’em up on the grill or on my stove. If time is tight simply chop some onions, brown them in some olive oil, and you’re good to go! That’s what I call flexing a recipe to fit your schedule!
Finally, to top off your salad I add some cherry tomatoes, a little bit of feta (or whatever cheese you have on hand), and drizzle it all with some homemade Italian salad dressing. Voilà! Salad perfection!
So let’s get cooking! Cheers!
Grilled Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts grilled (see our grilled chicken recipe)
- 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce washed
- 2 cups grilled sweet onions see below
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cups feta cheese crumbled (or whatever kind of cheese you prefer or have on hand)
- Homemade Italian salad dressing
Instructions
- Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put on plates or serving platter.
- Top with onions, chicken, feta, and tomatoes.
- Drizzle with homemade salad dressing and serve!
Notes
Grilled Sweet Onions
Ingredients
- 2-3 large sweet onions
- 2/3 cup white wine marinade
Instructions
- Peel onions and cut into 1/2-inch slices trying to keep nested rings intact.
- Place onions in 1-2 large, Pyrex casserole dishes with marinade, making sure to turn the onions at least once to coat them completely.
- Let onions marinate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
- Cook onions over a hot grill or on top of your stove. Onions are ready when they start to turn brown on the edges and caramelize.
- Use to garnish salads, sandwiches, burgers, or anything you like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Kitchen Tips and Resources:
- If you’re grilling onions or any type of vegetable these grill pans are a lifesaver and keep your delicious veggies ON the grill vs. in it! 🙂
- A high quality set of cutting knives can make a huge difference, especially when you’re cooking REAL food. My local knife shop advised me to invest in the higher quality Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature brand (much higher quality than the J.A. Henckels International brand) and time has proven them right. (To make sure you know which Henckels knives are better, here’s a tip — look for the “twins” on the knives vs. the single guy sporting the trident.) While you can buy these knives online, if you’ve got a local knife/cutlery store, support them instead. I love my local cutlery store and bring my knives in every six months or so to get them maintained with a nice, sharp edge!
- A great, non-slip cutting board is an invaluable kitchen asset when cutting up the vegetables. I upgraded to these Epicurean non-slip boards last summer, and I’ve been really pleased with them.
