Lemon Chicken with Celery, Apple, Blue Cheese & Pecan “Waldorf” Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head Butter (Boston) lettuce
• 6 sticks Celery
• 0.5 lb Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 4 oz Crumbled blue cheese
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 1 small bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1 Lemon (Zest and juice; reserve after zesting for later use.)
• 0.5 cup Pecan halves
• 0.5 cup Plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Shallots
• Black pepper (To taste.)
• Extra virgin olive oil (For pan-frying; use enough to coat the skillet.)
• Honey (Amount not specified; for the dressing.)
• Mayonnaise (Amount not specified; for the dressing.)
• Salt (To taste; used for the lemon seasoning and dressing.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. 2

   Transfer the pecan halves to a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven—it does not need to be fully heated—and roast, stirring halfway through, for 8–10 minutes, until the pecans are golden and fragrant. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce.

4. 4

   Zest the lemon into a small bowl. Add salt and black pepper, then stir to combine. Reserve the lemon for later use.

5. 5

   Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

6. 6

   While the skillet heats, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place it on a cutting board. Holding a knife parallel to the board, cut each breast in half horizontally to form thin cutlets. Sprinkle the lemon seasoning over both sides of the chicken.

7. 7

   When the skillet is hot, add extra virgin olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom.

8. 8

   Add the chicken and pan-fry for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

9. 9

   Meanwhile, juice the reserved lemon into a medium bowl. Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, additional salt, and black pepper. Whisk until the dressing is combined.

10. 10

    Trim and finely dice the celery on a clean cutting board. Add it to the bowl with the dressing.

11. 11

    Quarter and core the apples, then cut them into a small dice. Add them to the bowl.

12. 12

    Strip the parsley leaves from the stems, discard the stems, and roughly chop the leaves. Add half of the parsley to the bowl and reserve the remaining half for serving.

13. 13

    Peel and halve the shallots, then slice them crosswise into thin half-moons. Add them to the bowl.

14. 14

    Roughly chop the cooled pecans. Add them to the bowl along with the blue cheese, then gently stir to combine the Waldorf salad.

15. 15

    Chop or tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and divide it among four plates.

16. 16

    Slice the chicken into strips. Top the lettuce with the Waldorf salad, divide the chicken among the plates, and sprinkle with the reserved parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

The source specifies amounts for some ingredients but leaves the olive oil, honey, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper amounts to taste or unspecified. Nutrition estimates exclude those unquantified ingredients.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• salad
• high-protein
• American
• pan-fried
• healthy
• gluten-free