Bruschetta Chicken Salad with Balsamic Dressing| Recipe
Turn boneless, skinless chicken breasts into an exciting Italian chicken salad, with easy tomato bruschetta and a quick balsamic dressing.
This recipe is one of my summertime favorites, and I pull it out every year when the tomatoes are at peak season. It features an easy tomato bruschetta, made with vibrant tomatoes, fragrant shallots and garlic, as well as freshly minced basil. The bruschetta gets mixed in with moist, perfectly cooked, shredded chicken, and drenched in a quick and easy balsamic vinaigrette. It's chicken salad with an Italian flare, and I quite possibly could live on this, and this alone.
This bruschetta chicken salad is perfect for entertaining, as it is a stellar make-ahead dish. If you have the will power to resist eating it right away, and allow that tomato bruschetta and chicken to sit in the fridge overnight, soaking in the balsamic dressing, the ingredients marry beautifully with one another, making for a juicy and succulent masterpiece of flavors. Keep in mind that tomatoes have an extremely high water content, so if it appears a to have a tidbit more juice come the next day, that's perfectly ok and extremely delicious.
I use this bruschetta chicken salad for entertaining, but I also use it as a make-ahead, healthy lunch, as a dinnertime stuffing for Bruschetta Chicken Sandwiches and as a topper for Bruschetta Chicken over Romaine. Whichever way you chose to enjoy it, I can personally guarantee, you'll likely choose to enjoy it again and again. This one's a keeper.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breasts, (see “Perfectly Cooked Chicken Breasts” recipe)
4 medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons freshly minced basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Method:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk thoroughly until emulsified. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Serves 4-6
Would pair well with:
Dry White Wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
Light Red Wine, such as Pinot Noir or Grenache
