One of my favorite places to get recipe inspiration is my friends. Everyone has their own unique style of cooking that shows their personality and preferences. This one is inspired by my friend Emma, who is a very talented cook herself! When our friends were younger we’d have weekly Friday dinners at her house and cook an extravagant meal for ourselves. It was a huge production and everyone had their roles. Some of us cooked, some of us cleaned, and some refilled the drinks lol. A staple on our menus was the Ina Garten Cape Cod salad, specifically the dressing. Is it truly a gem – combines citrus with maple syrup and some dijon to make the perfectly emulsified dressing.
Emma’s “Clean Out The Fridge” Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 bunch curly kale, destemmed and chopped
- 7 oz arugula
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 honeycrisp apple, cubed
Dressing
- 1/2 naval orange – 1 tbsp of zest and 2 tbsp of juice
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp of salt and chicken. Cook for 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken then remove and rest.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well, taste for salt then set aside.
- Add kale to a large bowl and pour over about a tablespoon of dressing for each serving then massage well with your hands for 1-2 minutes, the kale should shrink significantly and turn dark green. Once the kale is very soft, add arugula and a few more splashes of dressing and toss again and set aside.
- Once the chicken has rested cut it into cubes then assemble the salad. Add greens to the bowl, add onion, tomatoes, avocado, apple, and chicken then drizzle over dressing and enjoy!