Whole30 Chopped Salad with Citrus

I’m in the kitchen with California Ripe Olives and California Grown bringing you this brand new Chopped Salad with Citrus. I’ve been loving my Hot Clementine Sumac Roast Chicken, so I decided to make a version using a chicken breast and I added it to a salad! I’m having this salad on repeat, and you know how much I love my California Ripe Olives which take this salad to a whole new level.

A lovely thought from Teri

I love summer food and having to say goodbye to it is hard, but developing recipes that give you the feeling of a bright summer day makes all the difference. This chopped salad with citrus does exactly that. This salad is perfect for this time of year when you can get some lovely citrus and I personally am especially fond of clementines, so this salad makes my heart sing. The olives in this salad add a beautiful flavor to the recipe, and taste so wonderful with the pepperoncini and cherry tomatoes. Since this salad is Whole30, the beautiful hearts of palm offer an almost cheesy texture. If you’re not doing Whole30, you can certainly add some feta cheese!

The dressing also brings in the citrus season with this Creamy Clementine Dressing. It’s simple to make and it can even be made a day ahead! This makes putting the salad together even easier, and it’s perfect for meal prep. This dressing has the creaminess of a Ranch dressing but has the wonderful citrus flavors from the clementines and a hint of sweetness from the prunes.

The wonderful thing about recipes is how they evolve over time. As you make them, you find that your tastes change and evolve and so does your cooking. For instance, I originally made this chopped salad with citrus with iceberg but now find that it is too watery for this salad and that romaine (and arugula if using) compliments the creamy dressing and salad toppings much better. I found that I loved having the citrus notes in my dressing and on the chicken so much that I wanted to add clementines right in the salad — absolute genius! My advice is that you should always take recipes as the foundation for something great, but let them change along with you. They’re not set in stone!

Ingredients

Creamy Clementine Dressing:

• Egg
• Light Olive Oil
• Clementine juice & rind
• Prunes
• Garlic
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Chicken & Spice Blend:

• Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• Clementines
• Sumac
• Kosher salt
• Hot paprika
• Dried Oregano
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

• Romaine, and arugula (optional)
• Red Cabbage
• California green olives
• Hearts of palm
• Cherry tomatoes
• Avocados
• Peperoncini
• Marinated Red Onions

How to make this recipe

Make the Creamy Clementine Dressing:

1. Place the egg in a wide-mouth mason jar. Using an immersion blender, blend from the bottom while slowly pouring in the oil, until completely emulsified.
2. Then add the clementine juice, clementine rind, prunes, garlic,  salt, and pepper, blending until well combined. If the dressing is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of water (up to a 1/4 cup) to thin it out.
3. Lasts in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.

Make the Chicken:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, make a spice blend by combining the Sumac, salt, hot paprika, and oregano. Stir well and set aside.
3. Thoroughly and evenly coat each chicken breast, front and back, with the olive oil. Then coat with the spice blend.
4. Place the thinly sliced clementine rounds in a single layer on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, to make a bed for the chicken then place the chicken breasts on top.
5. Roast the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Squeeze the juice of ½ of a Clementine over the chicken. Baste with the pan juices and clementine juice then return to the oven and cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If they need to cook longer, baste continually.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a cutting board to rest. Drain the pan juices into a bowl and set the liquid aside. (I love to snack on the crispy clementines from the pan.)
7. Remove the bone off the back of the chicken breast and cut the chicken into ½ to 1-inch cubes.

Assemble the Salad:

1. First add your romaine to a beautiful large platter or bowl and the red cabbage and sprinkle with salt.
2. Next, create a beautiful salad by adding all the remaining vegetables, chicken, and Marinated Red Onions.
3. When ready to serve, add some of the dressing and toss to coat until well combined. Serve with more dressing on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

And speaking of olives, have you made my Creamy Garlic Olive Dressing yet? If not, definitely put it on your list after this salad! If you make this Citrus Chopped Salad, be sure to rate and review it below. And if you want to follow along, head to Instagram and Pinterest for more inspiration!

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