Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado

Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado

Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado is a twist on a traditional caprese salad. We add marinated chicken and avocado slices to the mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, served on a bed of romaine lettuce along with basil. Our Italian Seasoning add extra flavor to the chicken. The Balsamic vinegar dressing brings all the flavors together into a wonderful, refreshing dinner salad. The salad is complete as is, or served with a warm piece of our Easy Crusty Bread. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, about 8 oz each
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar. We use our sweeter 18 Year Traditional Dark Balsamic, but you can use the less sweet 12 year balsamic.
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 Teaspoons Kosher Flake Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Large or 4 Medium Stalks Romaine Lettuce, cut into ¼” slices.
1 Large Avocado (or 2 Medium) pitted then sliced thin
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
12 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, cut into ½” slices then into ½” to ¾” bite-sized pieces. You can use mini-mozzarella balls if you prefer.
½ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, Thinly Sliced (Chiffonade Style)

Directions:
Pound each chicken breast thinner to about ½” thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Cut each piece in half again if they are too large. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle the Italian Seasoning evenly on both sides of the pieces. Set aside.

In a second medium mixing bowl, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, Kosher flake salt and black pepper. Whisk well to combine all ingredients. A small stick blender or mini milk frother works nicely as well.

Carefully pour ¼ cup of the oil-vinegar mixture over the chicken pieces, coating all sides. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour to let the flavors develop. 2 to 3 hours is better if you have time. Toss a couple times while marinating. Refrigerate the remainder of the sauce until needed as the dressing.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. We use a non-stick skillet to keep the chicken from sticking and burning. Transfer the chicken pieces to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes and golden brown. Turn the pieces over and cook another 4 minutes or until cooked through. Don’t overcook or the chicken will dry out. Transfer to a cutting board and lightly cover with foil to keep warm. You can also cook on an outdoors grill over medium-high heat, watching so they don’t overcook and burn.

Portion the lettuce between 4 bowls. Top the lettuce with the avocado slices, cherry tomato halves, mozzarella and basil. Cut the chicken into thin slices and evenly top each salad with the slices. Drizzle the remainder of the balsamic sauce over each salad. Enjoy!