A play on a classic American salad recipe from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the late 1800s. Jessica Emin has kept some of the familiar ingredients and added a few new twists. Crunchy vegetables meet bitter greens, toasted walnuts and pickled grapes. Add delicious lemon chicken, creamy citrus and parsley dressing with aged goats Gouda over the top of it all. You’ll want to try this recipe for a healthy and quick spring meal!

Serves: 4
Preparation: 35 minutes

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup grapes, Muscat variety if possible, halved
1 cup apple cider vinegar
12 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
2 lemons, grated, then juiced, both set aside
1 tbsp salt
1 head of butter or Boston lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 head Treviso lettuce, sliced into wide ribbons
2 large celery stalks, sliced very thin, on bias
½ small fennel bulb, woody stems removed, sliced into ribbons, on mandolin or by hand
1 pear, cored, and sliced into thin wedges or sticks
150g halved walnuts, toasted in the oven
1 ½ cups grated aged goat Gouda, like Beemster goat

Dressing Ingredients:
½ cup plain full fat yogurt or mayonnaise
2 tbsp reserved lemon juice
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Instructions:
Quick pickle the grapes in apple cider vinegar. Let sit.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken thighs on a sheet pan and sprinkle with lemon zest and salt. Roast for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together salad dressing ingredients, refrigerate until the salad is ready.
On four large dinner plates layer Boston and Treviso lettuce, celery, grapes, fennel, pear and walnuts. Slice the cooked chicken and add to the salad. Drizzle each with dressing and garnish with grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe created by Jess Emin