the salad bar: an asian twist.

Our go-to healthy weeknight dinner is a big bowl of salad and veggies topped with slices of grilled chicken.

We usually eat a salad like this once a week, but lately we’ve been enjoying them 2 or 3 times over. The reason is that I have a little photo shoot coming up in a couple of weeks, and I’m trying to eat as clean as I possibly can until then. But, the truth is – I’m loving having them so often, I may just continue the pattern for a while longer.

{It is bikini season, after all}

These salads are usually nothing fancy – and never difficult – so I haven’t posted on them in the past; but if you’re anything like me, you know that you can easily find yourself in somewhat of a salad rut.

In other words, if your mind thinks chicken, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette, and then goes blank – you’ve come to the right place.

I’m going to start sharing with you whatever easy salad combinations come out of my kitchen – so that hopefully, they can find their way into yours. Just remember that you can always interchange veggies, cheeses, or any other ingredients if you’re not into whatever I’m using – the beauty of salads is that they’re so easily customizable. And the same goes with the dressings; I usually like to make a vinaigrette each time because I find it to be super easy and delicious, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use whatever store-bought version you love. Just have fun with it! That’s what we do.

We also eat it straight out of this giant wooden bowl, comfortably perched in front of the TV {insert favorite trashy-reality show here}. Real Housewives of New Jersey, anyone?

Grilled Chicken Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

• 1 bag salad greens {I used a butter lettuce blend}
• 1/4 large red onion, sliced
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced
• 2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
• Handful roasted peanuts

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Squeeze of fresh lime juice
• Tiny splash sesame oil, optional
• Fresh minced ginger, optional
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

To grill the chicken, we use a George Foreman indoor grill. Daniel does this part, but it’s fairly straightforward. First, either marinate your chicken or season it with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Let your grill get nice and hot for about 5-10 minutes, or to a medium to high heat. Lightly brush the grill with olive oil or spray with cooking spray and place your chicken breasts on the grill. Close the lid and let them cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. If you’re not sure, just check a little more than half-way through by taking a breast off and cutting through it. When they’re done, take them off and let them sit for a few minutes. You can either eat them hot like this, or give them more time to cool down if you prefer. We usually just slice them and eat them while they’re still warm.

While the chicken is cooking, you can chop and prep all of your veggies. Throw the salad greens into a large bowl, and toss in the rest of the ingredients. When the chicken is done, add that in as well.

To make the vinaigrette, you have a couple of options. My favorite way to go is the Magic Bullet, which is a little miniature blender. I like using a machine because it produces a creamier dressing, and it just mixes better. You can also just grab a bowl, whisk together all of your ingredients except the oil, and then add the oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly. This is the method I use when I’m making a very simple vinaigrette with just a few ingredients. The last option would be to use one of those salad dressing containers – the ones that have a lid – so you can just shake all of the ingredients together.

The key is to taste as you go. I don’t use a lot of dressing, and I always eyeball the measurements. Sometimes I can end up with more, which I will just throw away if it’s a little extra, or keep if there’s enough left for another salad.

Add as much vinaigrette as you like over the salad and season with salt and pepper. Give it a good toss, and enjoy!