Dig In To a Hearty Winter Salad

For the longest time, I did not like salads. I thought they were bland and boring, and they certainly did not compare to a hot pizza or a bowl of pasta. But that was because for me, a salad was just chopped up lettuce with a few tomato wedges and cucumber slices, all slathered with store-bought dressing. Thankfully, I grew up and realized that salads can be one of the most satisfying dishes out there – if you know what you’re doing. 

Now I love finding creative ways to make healthy and delicious salads. I am lucky enough to have a boyfriend who attended culinary school, and together we make some exciting dishes. This week’s creation was a potato, caper, and arugula salad with grilled chicken. The capers are high in antioxidants and give the salad just a hint of their salty flavor. But it’s the potatoes that really make this dish – warm and soft, they give the dish more substance to fill you up. We originally wanted to use fingerling potatoes for this recipe, but the store was all out; any waxy potato will do just fine. 

Potato and Grilled Chicken Salad (Serves 4)

1 lb thin-sliced chicken breast
7 TBSP olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 lb fingerling/waxy potatoes 
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
4 TBSP capers
2 cups arugula 
1/4 medium white onion, diced

-Marinade the chicken in a small bowl with 1 TBSP of olive oil and liberally season with salt and pepper. Set aside. 
-Place the potatoes and a tsp of salt in a medium saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and then lower to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside. 
-In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, rice vinegar, garlic, and honey. Add the remaining 6 TBSP of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. 
-Heat a large cooking pan to high heat, and cook the chicken breasts about 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through the center. Slice into small pieces. 
-At this time, halve the fingerling potatoes, or cut into strips if you used waxy red potatoes. If they have cooled, pop them in the oven for a minute to warm them up. 
-In a large salad bowl, include the arugula, onion, capers, potatoes, and chicken slices. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. 

–Lindsay Putnam