Recipe Of The Day: Grilled Chicken & Roasted Pear Salad

This time of year people are finding themselves outside more, looking to lighten up in the weight department and in need of some serious nutrients due to the sudden amount of alcohol they are consuming.
This salad mixes the best of a few worlds and allows you to feel light and full of energy after tearing up a few plates instead of ready for a nap. The dressing goes perfect with the crispy chicken and roasted pears and sits wonderful on top of the mixed greens.

For The Chicken:

4 Boneless / Skinless Chicken breasts

1 TBS black pepper

1 TBS Kosher Salt

2 TBS lemon juice

½ tsp smoked paprika

extra virgin olive oil

Directions for Chicken:

Wrap each chicken breast between a few sheets of plastic wrap and pound each breast until ½ inch or less thick

Place the chicken in a bowl and pour in lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and toss to coat evenly.

Warm a skillet or grill pan over medium heat on the stove and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (do not use too much oil, you are not looking to fry the breasts)

Grill each chicken breast until crisp and brown (about 5 to 7 mins) flip once and grill another 7 to 10 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved.

Remove from grill or pan and tent on a cutting board with foil loosely for 10 minutes.

Cut chicken into ½ wide strips and set aside

For Salad:

8 firm-ripe Bosc pears (4 lb), peeled, cored, and each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

1 ½ TBS extra-virgin olive oil

1 small head chicory

1 small head escarole

1 small head radicchio

1 bunch watercress (coarse stems discarded)

1 bunch mizuna (coarse stems discarded)

1 small head romaine

For Dressing:

1 TBS finely chopped shallot

2 ½ TBS cider vinegar

½ tsp honey

¼ tsp Kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

¼ cup plus 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

Roasted Pears:


Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss pears with oil and spread in 1 layer in a 17- by 12-inch shallow baking pan, then season with salt and pepper.

Roast pears, stirring and turning over twice, until pears are tender and beginning to brown, 20 to 30 minutes, then cool about 15 minutes.

While pears are roasting and cooling, tear enough tender chicory and escarole leaves (discard ribs) into bite-size pieces to measure 6 cups total.

Tear enough radicchio, watercress, mizuna, and romaine into bite-size pieces to measure 10 cups total.

Toss torn greens in a large bowl and reserve remaining greens for another use.

Make dressing and toss salad:


Whisk together shallot, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

Just before serving, add roasted pears, chicken and dressing to greens and toss to combine well.