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Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad





Total Time
25 mins

Jay Decker combines barbecued chicken, sweet nectarines, tangy goat cheese, and toasted pecans in a great entrée salad. Prep and cook time: about 25 minutes.

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad




Lara Hata
 2/3 cup pecan halves
 2 quarts salad greens (8 oz.), rinsed and crisped
 1/4 cup vegetable oil
 1/4 cup walnut oil (or more vegetable oil; see
 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
 4 boned chicken breast halves with skin (2 lb. total), rinsed, patted dry, and fat trimmed
  Salt and pepper
 2 firm-ripe nectarines (12 oz. total), rinsed, pitted, and thinly sliced
 5 ounces fresh chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled
Step 1
1

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread pecans in a baking pan and bake until golden under skins, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Step 2
2

Mound salad greens on four dinner plates. In a small bowl, stir vegetable oil, walnut oil, and vinegar to blend. Set aside.

Step 3
3

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lay on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until meat is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 15 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Remove skin if desired.

Step 4
4

Slice chicken across the grain 1/2 inch thick; arrange over greens. Tuck nectarine around chicken. Scatter goat cheese and pecans over the top. Stir dressing; pour over salads. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5
5

Nut Oils on Salad: A drizzle of walnut, hazelnut, or almond oil makes a salad dressing--like the one in this salad--rich and interesting. Until recently, though, nut oils have generally been imported and pricey. Now, less expensive oils pressed from Western nuts are joining imports in grocery stores.

Step 6
6

Nut oils are good for your heart, as well as your salads. Almond and hazelnut oils are rich in monounsaturated fats, and walnut oil supplies omega-3 fatty acids. Refrigerate nut oils after opening; they turn rancid quickly at room temperature.

Step 7
7

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving without skin.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 721Calories from Fat 67
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 54g84%

Saturated Fat 12g60%
Cholesterol 120mg40%
Sodium 275mg12%
Total Carbohydrate 16g6%

Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Protein 44g88%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.