This easy grilled chicken recipe is elevated by a tangy basil & pine nut vinaigrette and served over an arugula salad with cherry tomatoes and diced avocado.
Throw some grilled chicken on some greens for an easy, light, and tasty summer recipe. The basil and pine nut vinaigrette elevates the level of the dish while still keeping it an easy recipe.
Don't want to make the basil vinaigrette? Cool, pick your favorite store bought dressing and make this grilled chicken and salad recipe even easier.
Don't want the extra work or the extra dishes to clean? Forego toasting the pine nuts and sautéing the garlic and throw them into the food processor as is.
Freeze any extra basil vinaigrette in an ice cube tray or small ziploc snack bag for another day. Stays good in freezer 3 months.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this Grilled Chicken Salad with a fruit based summer side recipe like:
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Things In My Kitchen:
- Weber Grill – I love this grill. Small but still plenty big enough for 12 chicken thighs and 6-8 steaks. Plus it’s easy to clean the grates. You’ll want to grab the stand below probably as well.
- Weber Grill Portable Stand – Rollable and compacts.
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Grilled Chicken And Basil Dressing
EatSimpleFood.com
This easy and basic grilled chicken recipe is elevated by a tangy basil & pine nut vinaigrette and served over a salad with cherry tomatoes and avocado.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Ingredient List Salad:
- 2 lb (8) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 8 cups (~½ lb) arugula
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced
- desired amount of vinaigrette
- salt
- black pepper
Ingredient List Dressing:
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 cup (~ 1 oz) basil
- 2 tsp garlic, minced & sautéed
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup e.v. olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a grill to medium heat (~400F).
- Bring a small pan to medium high heat and add the pine nuts. Cook and stir until starting to brown and fragrant (optional step). Throw directly into food processor and blend it.
- Bring a small pan to medium high heat and add garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant (optional step). Throw into food processor. Add all remaining ingredients to food processor and whiz it up until smooth.
- Lightly oil, salt, and pepper chicken. Grill covered for ~ 6-7 minutes per side or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165F and juices run clear.
- In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients except chicken and dressing. Add desired amount of dressing and mix. Plate salad and add chicken on top. Add sea salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Don't want the extra work or the extra dishes to clean? Forego toasting the pine nuts and sauteing the garlic and throw them into the food processor as is.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish / Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
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