Ingredients:
- 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
- 1 cup cubed, cooked potatoes
- 3 cups raw, cut up vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes etc.
- 1/4 cup flavorful olives, such as kalamata, sliced or chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews, preferably toasted
- DRESSING (substitute bottled vinagrette)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive or canola oil, or a mixture of the two Directions:
- If using left over cooked chicken, remove any skin and cut into small cubes. If starting from 'scratch', cook 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lightly salted (poach or pan grill) and cut into cubes.
- Cut left over potatoes into cubes, or peel and dice 2 medium or 1 large potato, cover with lightly salted water in a small saucepan and cook until just barely tender, about 15 minutes. Cool.
- Separate broccoli heads into bite-size florets. Peel the stalk and slice crosswise into coins. Peel and dice the carrot. Rinse the tomatoes and slice in half, or leave whole, if preferred. Chop the olives and toast the cashews briefly in a dry skillet until they just begin to color. (Toasting is optional but really enhances the flavor).
- To make the vinagrette: in a small bowl, mash the pressed or finely chopped garlic with the salt. Stir in about 1 tablespoon of the oil and mix well. Add the vinegar and the rest of the oil and a few grinds of pepper. Mix very well.
- Mix everything together and add about 1/2 cup vinagrette. Stir gently. Add more dressing if you wish, but not so much that the taste of the dressing overwhelms the subtle flavors of chicken and fresh vegetables.