By: EatingWell

Photographer: Burris, Ken

Publish Date: 2008-10-01

Servings: 4

Yield: 4 servings, 2 1/2 cups each

Total Time: 40 minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

To Make Ahead: The dressing will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Recipe Description:

This bright and summery entree salad, which uses a savory apricot puree as both marinade and dressing, makes a refreshing change from the standby Chicken Caesar. The salad also works well with sliced peaches or nectarines.

Recipe Ingredients:

Marinade & dressing

1. 1/2 cup dried apricots
2. 1 cup hot water
3. 2 cups loosely packed mint leaves, (about 1 bunch)
4. 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
5. 1/2 cup orange juice
6. 2 tablespoons honey
7. 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8. 4 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
9. 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
10. Freshly ground pepper, to taste
11. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

1. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
2. 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (10 cups)
3. 6 fresh apricots, or plums, pitted and cut into wedges
4. 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, (about 1/2 bunch), roughly chopped
5. 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip)

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat grill.
2. To prepare marinade & dressing: Soak dried apricots in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer apricots to a food processor. Add 2 cups mint, orange zest, orange juice, honey, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in oil. Reserve 1 cup for the dressing.
3. To prepare salad: Transfer the remaining marinade to a large sealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Lightly oil the grill rack (hold a piece of oil-soaked paper towel with tongs and rub it over the grate). Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until no longer pink in the center, 6 to 8 minutes per side. (Discard the marinade.)
5. Meanwhile, combine lettuce, apricot (or plum) wedges and chopped mint in a large bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Slice the chicken and arrange over the salads. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

1. Tip: To toast almonds: Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until golden brown and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Toasted almonds will keep, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 456 calories; 20 g fat (3 g saturated fat, 13g mono unsaturated fat); 66 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 34 g protein; 10 g fiber; 433 mg sodium; 1281 mg potassium

Nutrtion Bonus: Vitamin A (230% daily value), Vitamin C (110% dv), Fiber (41% dv).

Exchanges: 1 fruit, 3 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1fat (mono)

Carbohydrate Servings: 2

Recipe Categories:

Course(s)

Lunch

Dinner

Cuisine(s)

American

Degree of Difficulty

Easy

Special Health Consideration(s)

High Fiber

Low Sat Fat

Low Sodium

High Potassium

High Calcium

Heart Healthy

Diabetes Appropriate

Seasons & Occassions

Summer

Baby Shower

Bridal Shower

Spring

Housewarming

Entertainment

Main Ingredient(s)

Poultry

Chicken

Technique(s)

Quick

Marinate

Food Processor

Barbecue

Grill

Dish Type(s)

Salad

Main Dish

Recipe Disclaimer(s):

Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Eating Well cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.

Gluten-Free Disclaimer: We have verified that these recipes do not include the following gluten-containing ingredients: wheat (all varieties, including spelt and kamut, wheat germ or bran and other forms of wheat protein), rye, barley (in all forms, including malt, malt flavoring, malt vinegar and malt extract), oats, triticale or beer/ale. However, many processed foods, such as broths, soy sauce and other condiments, may contain hidden sources of gluten. If a recipe calls for a packaged (e.g., canned) ingredient, we recommend that you carefully read the label to be sure it does not contain a hidden source of gluten.