Balsamic Chicken Cutlet over Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Bacon and Warm Shallot Dressing
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 1 to 4 super salad suppers
- Total: 30 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 20 min
Ingredients
For 4 servings:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets (sometimes marked "thin cut")
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, enough to just coat the breast slices
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, just eyeball it
Grill seasoning blend, or coarse salt and pepper
4 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons
Spinach Salad:
1 pound center cut bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and cleaned
8 gourmet white stuffing mushrooms, thinly sliced
8 radishes, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
Dressing:
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount, plus 1 tablespoons
1 large shallot, minced
3 rounded spoonfuls Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Individual portion:
1/2 pound boneless chicken breast cutlets
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 2 splashes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
Grill seasoning, such as Montreal Seasoning by McCormick, or, coarse salt and black pepper
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stem and finely chopped
4 slices center cut bacon
1/4 pound fresh spinach, trimmed and cleaned
2 gourmet white stuffing mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 red radishes, thinly sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced on an angle
1/2 shallot, chopped
1 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, just eyeball it
1 rounded spoonful Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Coat chicken with balsamic, oil, seasoning and rosemary and set aside. In a skillet, add chopped bacon, work in 2 batches if preparing salad for 4. Brown bacon over medium high heat, then transfer the bits to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Using center cut bacon will cut down on the pan drippings that spatter.
- Coarsely chop spinach leaves and add to salad bowl. Top with mushrooms, radishes, scallions. Season salad with salt and pepper.
- Wipe out the bacon pan and return to stove turning heat back to medium low. Add 1 tablespoon oil for your dressing and shallots and reduce heat to medium. Saute shallots for 3 minutes. Remove oil and shallots from heat.
- In a bowl, combine mustard and balsamic vinegar. Stream in 2/3 cup oil slowly while whisking the dressing to emulsify it. Add warm shallots and toss with spinach salad to coat evenly. Add cooked bacon and toss again.
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken cutlets, 4 minutes on each side, in a single layer. Slice breasts on an angle on your cutting board once they are all out of the pan. Pile spinach salad on to dinner plate/plates. Top each salad with 2 sliced chicken cutlet pieces. For individual portion follow the above method.