Roasted Chicken & Cherry Tomato Salad with Shallot-Yogurt Dressing
Don’t you just love happy accidents?
This dressing — which I’d officially like to have on hand at all times — was the happiest of accidents, and I wound up with something that tastes like the much healthier version of “french onion dip.” You know what I’m talking about? If you know, you know.
When I pulled my cast iron skillet out of the oven and set the chicken aside to rest, the last thing I wanted to do was scrub it clean of any burnt on bits, so instead of blending raw shallot into the dressing, I decided to sautée it in the same skillet before blending it in, just to deglaze things a bit. And boy, I’m very glad I did. Getting the shallot nice and soft gives the final dressing that ultra-savory, umami flavor that we all loooooove so much about store-bought french onion dip, and it meant less clean up for me!
This salad comes together quickly, and the minimal ingredients work super hard to pack in as much flavor as possible. Your croutons and tomatoes cook on the same sheet pan, and the shallots caramelize on the skillet that was formerly home to your chicken.
When it comes to salad greens, I leave this up to you! But there’s something so delightful about crisp romaine in contrast with the jammy tomatoes, crunchy croutons and savory dressing.
Roasted Chicken & Cherry Tomato Salad with Shallot-Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients:
- 2 small (or 1 large) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- Small loaf of crusty bread (stale is ok!)
- 2 large romaine hearts, rinsed and chopped, or salad greens of your choice
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, optional
- 1/2 c. plain, unsweetened regular (not Greek) yogurt
- 1 large (or 2 small) shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF, and preheat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper, on both sides. Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil into your hot skillet, and add chicken. Let sear, without touching, for 4-5 minutes — or until deep, golden brown. Flip and repeat on the second side.
- While chicken sears, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice your bread into 3/4" slices, then gently tear into bite-sized cubes. Make as many croutons as you'd like, and save any extra bread for another recipe. Add torn bread to one half of your lined sheet pan, and add sliced tomatoes to the other half. Season both with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and toss to combine — keeping both separate. Place tomatoes and croutons on the middle rack of your oven, and place your skillet of seared chicken on the top rack.
- Check chicken after 10 minutes with an instant-read thermometer — I love this one. Seriously, this is a totally worth-it investment! When the temperature reads 155ºF, it's time to take the skillet out. Continue to cook your croutons until crispy and golden brown and your tomatoes until jammy and soft. Remove from oven when finished.
- Remove chicken from skillet onto a cutting board to rest until cooled. Turn skillet to medium heat, and add chopped shallot directly into the pan juices with a drizzle of olive oil. Sautée until soft and just beginning to turn brown on the edges, around 5 minutes, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the chicken.
- Add shallots to a blender or food processor, along with yogurt and balsamic vinegar. Blend until completely smooth, taste, and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When chicken, tomatoes and croutons are cooled and you're ready to serve, slice chicken and toss with the tomatoes, lettuce, croutons, and 3/4 of the dressing. Divide into bowls, and top with a drizzle of the remaining dressing, some shaved parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper.