In my last post, I recommended some perfect books for summer reading. I’m now pairing that list with the perfect summer salad.
Does anyone else barely cook on the stove during summer? Because that’s me. While I love firing up the oven or having a bubbling pot on the stove during the cooler months, I loath being cooped up in the kitchen during warm weather. For one thing, our Cottage kitchen is adorable but poorly ventilated, so even with the AC set to Deep Freeze, that room is (and therefore I am) always 10-15 degrees warmer than the rest of the house.
Plus, who wants to cook a laborious meal when there are pools to swim in, ice cream trucks to chase, and daycations to take? Not this girl.
Which is why the second the weather gets semi-warm, I become the Queen of Marinades and Salads, and Husband becomes the Grillmaster. With only a little bit of summer left (“September” = “Fall” in my head, no matter what the calendar says), I can’t even remember the last time I made a full meal on the stove. It actually feels a little strange to start using the gas range again when the cold weather eventually chases us inside.
I research new salad ideas each spring, as well as new rubs and marinades I can use on chicken, fish, and shrimp in the summertime. Husband loves firing up our grill, so we have a tag-team thing going on for most of our summer meals. I get home first from work, so I’ll prep the salad ingredients or start marinating the meat, and then Husband will throw whatever’s been marinating on the grill once he gets home. (While many women grill, I am not one of them. That there is men’s work.) I’ll usually putter around outside while he grills, watering the plants as we catch up on each other’s days. It’s a nice way to ease into a lazy, summer evening.
This Key West Chicken, Avocado, and Corn Salad combines my trusty marinade and salad skills with my husband’s masterful grilling skills. It consists of marinated grilled chicken, creamy avocado, sweet corn kernels, and ripe tomatoes over crisp, fresh greens. Then, you sprinkle it with goat cheese and add my favorite part — the sweet-and-salty Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette.
I also call this salad dressing Magic Crack Dressing because it’s so darn addictive. It’s delicious on a purely vegetarian salad, but I find it compliments the grilled chicken in this recipe particularly well.
The Key West Chicken marinade comes together in a matter of minutes. You can marinate the chicken for 30 minutes if you’re short on time, but I like to marinate it for 24 hours if I can; the extra time really amps up the flavor. Either way, the result is incredibly juicy chicken that is mouthwatering even on its own. We like to double or triple the marinade recipe, grill up a big batch of cutlets, and freeze any leftovers to use on salads at a later date. If you microwave a frozen cutlet for about 30-60 seconds, it’s perfectly thawed and tastes just as fresh and juicy as the day you grilled it.
The ingredients in this salad are extremely versatile, but I like using seasonal, local produce when I can. I chose corn for its crunch (just shave the raw kernels right off the cob) and tomatoes because, well, I live in New Jersey, and we’re known for our tomatoes. The avocado isn’t local, but I love the cool contrast it brings to the hot chicken right off the grill. But, really, you can swap in whatever ingredients you want with this salad. Just make sure to smother it in the Magic Crack Dressing — I mean, the Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette — when you’re finished.
Key West Chicken, Avocado, and Corn Salad with Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Key West Chicken Marinade
- 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lime juice
Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar**
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Salad Ingredients
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped and divided
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
- 1 cup of raw corn kernels (about 1 corn cob)
- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Marinade the chicken at least 30 minutes before grilling; 24 hours is ideal. To make marinade, whisk together soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and lime juice in a small bowl. Pour marinade into a Ziplock bag. Add chicken, seal the bag, and massage the bag until chicken is coated in marinade. Place bag in fridge for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Make the vinaigrette. Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp onion powder, salt, and pepper in a pitcher. Use a stick blender to blend ingredients, or whisk vigorously until dressing is thickened and all ingredients are blended together. Set aside.
- Prep your salad ingredients: Chop lettuce and tomato; shave corn kernels off the corn cob; split the avocado, throw away the pit, cut cubes into the flesh using a dull knife and remove from skin. Set all prepped ingredients aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your outdoor grill on high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate and remove chicken cutlets from the marinade bag; discard marinade. Grill cutlets for 6-8 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Assemble salad ingredients, lettuce through corn kernels, into two salad bowls.
- Cut the slightly cooled, grilled chicken into bite-size pieces and distribute evenly between the bowls. Add crumbled goat cheese and drizzle (or douse) each salad with Balsamic Lemon Vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
