Strawberry~Chicken Salad with pecans

Strawberry-Chicken Salad with pecans ~ Cooking Light Magazine, May, 2016

4 t. EVOO, divided
1 T. White Basalmic Vinegar
1 t. Honey
½ t. Chopped Fresh Thyme
S&P

2 (4 oz.) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Cutlets
¼ t. Smoked Paprika
S&P

4 c. Baby Spinach (or combo of Romaine)
¼ c. Thinly Sliced Red Onion
3 T. Chopped Pecans, toasted
½ c. Cooked Farro (if desired)
1 oz. Feta Cheese, crumbled (approx ¼ c.)

1. Combine 1 T. oil, vinegar, honey, thyme and s&p (to taste), stir with a whisk. Add to cut strawberries, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 min.

2. Heat skillet over med-high heat. Brush chicken with oil, season both sides with s&p and smoked paprika. Cook chicken 2-3 min. on each side or until done. Remove from pan and allow to stand 5 or more minutes. Cut across the grain into thin slices.

3. Add spinach (and romaine, if using) to large bowl, add onion slices that have been soaked in ice water for 10 min and drained well and also cooked (farro if using). Dress with desired amount of dressing and mix to coat.

4. Divide greens, strawberries, & toasted pecans on two plates. Top with sliced chicken, drizzled with dressing and sprinkle with feta (if using).

Toasted Farro with Thyme

½ c. Cooked Farro
1 t. Butter
1 t. Chopped Fresh Thyme
S&P

Saute farro in butter and thyme for 5 minutes, season with s&p. Cool before adding to salad.

I love different kinds of chicken salad, Beth, and this sounds delicious. Thanks for posting it. Everything sounds good but I'd personally skip the farro.

Brian picked up a roasted grocery chicken yesterday along with some corn tortillas 'cause I want to make some crispy flautas with chicken and gruyere. If I have enough chicken left, I might pick up strawberries and substitute goat cheese for the feta. Mmm!

Actually, Michelle, the farro is quite tasty. It has a nutty flavor ~ and when it was toasted in butter with the thyme, well, it was really nice. I mixed it in with the greens and onions and tossed with my fingers in a big bowl and added the dressing just to coat. There's not a whole lot but it adds to the pecan crunch and taste and (quite honestly) you don't even notice it's there. But it does add a lot of protein and is filling, too.

I'd eat the farro but I doubt Brian would like it. It certainly is "today's grain," as I'm seeing recipes using it all over the place. Some of them look quite good, too.

I like quinoa but he's not a fan. As much as he does for me and as much as he's been willing to try over the years, I would probably not spring farro on him...

Dane isn't a fan of quinoa....but he likes the farro in the chicken salad. Go figure.