Thursday, August 9, 2012

Green on Green Salad with Charred Corn, Chicken and Homemade Green Goddess Dressing



How often do you hear we should “eat our greens?” One of the simplest ways is to eat more green salads. But I don’t like boring green salads and I suspect neither do you.

I call this salad “green on green,” but I’ve added a handful of charred corn kernels for a pop of color and sliced chicken breasts for protein to make this a main dish salad. You could easily leave the chicken out and use this as a side salad to a whole roasted chicken or a grilled steak.

Almost every weekend I roast several chicken breasts and keep them in the refrigerator to use later in the week for sandwiches and salads. The easiest recipe I’ve found for roasting chicken breasts comes from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, and the chicken always turns out perfect.  Just preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, place the chicken breasts (I use bone-in, skin-on) on a sheet pan (cover with heavy duty foil for easy clean-up if you like), rub the skin with a little olive oil, then season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stick the chicken in the oven and let it roast for about 35 to 40 minutes until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer, taking care not to overcook it or it will be tough. When the chicken has cooled, wrap breasts individually and store in the refrigerator for use later in salads and sandwiches.




To keep the theme of green on green, this salad is dressed with homemade Green Goddess dressing. Green Goddess dressing was popular in the ‘70’s and was bottled by Seven Seas. For some reason I assumed that Green Goddess was some big secret recipe that Seven Seas had created. Turns out it was concocted in 1923 by the executive chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco to pay tribute to actor George Arliss and his smash hit play The Green Goddess. Goes to show you that you shouldn’t assume things.

Green Goddess dressing is a snap to make. Whirl a little yogurt, a dash of vinegar, and a couple of anchovies around in a mini food processor with some fresh herbs straight from your garden and you’ve made your own homemade Green Goddess dressing.



Green on Green Salad with Charred Corn, Chicken, & Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
Adapted from Home by Design – serves 4

1 pound cooked chicken breasts, roasted or grilled
2 ears yellow corn, shucked & silks removed
Olive oil for brushing corn
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups fresh arugula
½ English cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 medium ripe Hass avocado
Homemade Green Goddess dressing (recipe below)

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Rub the corn with a little olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill, rotating occasionally, until the corn is charred on all sides. Remove to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off of the cobs.

Divide the arugula among four plates and sprinkle with a little salt & freshly ground black pepper. Top with sliced chicken, some corn, and the sliced cucumbers. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. With a large spoon, scoop the avocado out of the shell and cut the flesh into thin slices. Place ¼ of the avocado on each salad in a fan shape. Serve with Green Goddess dressing on the side.

Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
Adapted from Home by Design – serves 4

½ cup Greek yogurt
2 anchovies
¼ cup lightly packed Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons roughly chopped chives or the white part of scallions
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar, or any good white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients through the vinegar in the bowl of a mini food processor and blend for several minutes until the dressing is bright green and the herbs are incorporated. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Makes about 2/3 cup.




Mr. Bunny says, "Don’t forget to eat your greens."

This will be linked to Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farms, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Foodtastic Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper, Southern Sundays at Slice of Southern, Summer Salad Sunday at Easy Natural Food, Carole's Chatter Food on Friday, and On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable.


49 comments:

  1. A fresh and delicious salad! Very summery.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Beautiful presentation. Salads are just so perfect for a main dish when it is hot. I will give the dressing a try. I've got plenty of herbs in the garden and I'm happy it doesn't call for raw garlic.

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  3. I never think of roasting extra chicken..We love chicken salads..This one sounds different and refreshing..your little friend is so cute..he eats a lot of my things here:(

    Thank goodness they are cute..Much cuter than squirrels!

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  4. Lovely! And a trip down memory lane to the "land of green goddess" dressing. I did not know that the dressing contained anchovies. Maybe that's why I liked it so much.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  5. With salads like this, I have no problem 'eating my greens'…. your presentation is simply beautiful Sam! I had no idea about the story behind Green Goddess dressing and I'm surprised it's not as popular today as it was in the 70's since it's so anchovy-yummy! I'm going to remember your tip about roasted chicken too!

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  6. Oooh, Green Goddess was a favorite of mine long ago -- can't wait to try this homemade version.

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  7. Mr bunny is banned from my garden thanks to my fence, therefore I get to the greens before he does!! I only wish it was easier to get avocados here they are on of my all time favourites. We had a huge tree in S.A. and we were so spoilt. Love this dressing it sounds yummy. Have a good day Diane

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  8. UNA ENSALADA MUY COMPLETA Y AGRADABLE A LA VISTA,
    SALUDOS CAROLINE!!! "-"

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  9. Now that's a lot of green! I never realized the dressing has anchovies in it. Salads are perfect for summer and we had one every day when I was growing up. Nice post and pics, Sam!

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  10. PAM! PAM! PAM from open salon...... I know your picture .......how the hell are you????? What's going on???????????

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    1. You must have me confused with someone. I'm not Pam, I'm Sam and I'm not familiar with open salon. Sorry KB.
      Sam

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  11. wonderful salad and love that you made it a nutritionally balanced meal

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  12. What a wonderful way to eat your greens, Sam! I'm happy to know Ina's easy recipe for chicken breasts and enjoyed learning about Green Goddess dressing too.

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  13. Looks like a great dinner! I really have to start taking more salads to work. Also want to get back into the habit of roasting chicken, thanks for the nudge. After they ate all my string beans... not even gonna comment on the fur ball:@)

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  14. Green Goddess dressing is an old favourite. I remember my neighbour making it since it wasn't something we could purchae at the store.

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  15. Hi Sam,
    It's a great recipe!
    Don't you know that you can store and share your recipe with more than 13,000 foodies around the world?
    We have an online cookbook and community, and surely we're always looking for more creative recipes to add to our database.
    www.mycookbook.com

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  16. What a wonderful salad! Love your green dressing.

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  17. I have actually written a post on how much I hate greens. :) On the other hand, I eat a salad for lunch every single day, with greens, green veggies and chicken. But when I go out for lunch, I'll avoid ordering salad. Of any kind. Ever.
    Always have loved the garlicky taste of Green Goddess dressing. My mother made it all the time. I would pick all the goodies off the top of the arugula. I am a bad girl!

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  18. I can finally see the photo and comment today and it looks incredibly good and I like having the recipe for the homemade dressing. We do the same thing with the Dolly breast in the smoker, then thaw one out for a meal. yesterdY was lots of fun and I'm tying this while I sit outside and drink coffee, waiting for the girls to get up so we can break camp.

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  19. Sam this look awesome really I love greens and this look nice; I love avocados in it!

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  20. I love your green salad, what a great combo!

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  21. What a perfectly designed, and colorful salad - love the color scheme! Great idea to keep cooked chicken on hand throughout the week.

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  22. That is a brilliant idea to cook the chicken for the whole week! I love how simple this salad is. Thanks for linking to Foodie Friday!

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  23. It is a work of art with the added advantage of being edible. Love it Sam. I make my chicken the same way. Ina is right on.

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  24. This is a beautiful, delightful salad. I am stuck on the color green so is perfect for me! I love foods that are artfully presented - you have a gift for that! I really believe we taste with our eyes first, and your salad tastes delicious to my eyes!

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  25. So much better to roast your own. I hate how dried out the store ones are, rarely ever get those overpriced rotisserie chickens. You salad is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it on foodie friday.

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  26. I just cooked a family pack of chicken on the grill the other evening, we had company and it worked out great, because we've been having lovely chicken sandwiches all week for lunch! Your salad looks fantastic, and we always grill our corn so now I know what to use the extra in!

    Thanks Sam, and have a wonderful weekend!

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  27. Sam, your plate looks so elegant. I love your salad!! Thanks for linking to Foodtastic Friday!

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  28. Up next - Hasenpfeffer salad ha ha ha ha sorry, Mr. Bunny, I couldn't resist.

    I could dive right into that salad Sam, it is beautifully composed. I threw one together last night but it is not anywhere near as healthy as yours.

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  29. I love everything about this salad...great textures and flavors throughout! YUM!!

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  30. This looks magnificent. Wish I could stick my fork in.

    Great to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  31. I am so behind in reading blogs. I adore Green Goddess dressing and thank you for sharing a less fattening version of this. I can't wait to make this dressing! As always, the photo is so beautiful. I especially love avocado and can't get enough of it.

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  32. This looks pretty and delicious. I eat lots of salads. I'll try this.

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  33. I saw you linked up at A Slice of Southern.I'm your newest follower on GFC, would love for you to visit me www.callmepmc.com and follow if you like, thanks!

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  34. I LOVE salad like this! So fresh and healthy and so many options! Love the combination of ingredients that you use here and your Green Goddess dressing looks fantastic!!!

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  35. This looks great, I've bookmarked it because I never seem to cook my chicken breasts well. Do you use bone in or boneless? I like the sound of the corn, too.

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    1. Leslie, that's an important point and thanks for asking. I use bone-in breasts because the bones bring flavor and help keep the moisture in the chicken. I try to find breasts with the skin still attached because the skin also helps with the moisture during cooking. If I have to use skinless breasts, I cover them with slices of oranges to keep them from drying out.
      Sam

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  36. This looks like such a luscious and delicious salad, Sam! The charred corn, avocado and sliced chicken make it a complete meal!

    I never knew the history behind Green Goddess salad dressing --very interesting. I love anchovies so this is a dressing I love.

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  37. Another one of your marvelous recipes that I must try!!! Beautifully done, as always!

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  38. I use the same recipe for Green Goddess and it's one of my favorite dressings. With a cooked chicken breast or two in the fridge it is so easy to put together a quick and delicious meal. Grilled corn is a wonderful addition to a summer salad.

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  39. I love everything about your salad especially the Green Goddess dressing. I haven't made it in years. Thanks for the reminder about how good it is on a salad.

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  40. Awesome salad! Have a great week!! Deb

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  41. ohoh i love that you charred the corn first! That is the best way to eat corn in my opinion and pairing it with the greens- delish!

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  42. What a simple but fabulous summer salad meal! Love the dressing.

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  43. This looks like a wonderful meal. I'm really intrigued by the dressing, too.

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  44. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! And the dressing...a classic! Thanks for sharing on Southern Sundays! Have a great week!

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  45. Your salad looks fabulous Sam..like how you pre-treated the corn :), and the dressing sounds delicious with all the green in it.
    Thanks for this wonderful recipe and hope you are having a fun week...oh! Mr Bunny is so so cute :)

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  46. What a mouthwatering salad! I love the variety of tastes and textures in this salad, it makes for a salad that I would not get tired of eating. Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays!

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