Chicken Broccoli Salad

As you know I love to make salads in the summer. Particularly pasta salads. But what if you don’t like pasta or can’t eat it? Well, make my Chicken Broccoli Salad (and Chicken Waldorf Salad and Barley Salmon Salad). The salad is fresh and healthy and delicious.

Chicken and broccoli go well together, because chicken is mild and tender and broccoli is slightly bitter and chewy. Add some cubed cheese, bell peppers, and a mustardy salad dressing for a delicious main dish salad that you can eat for days.

As always, I do recommend using rotisserie chickens when you need cooked cubed chicken. But if that’s just too expensive, here’s what you do. Buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, put them on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Add some salt and pepper. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F. Test the temperature using a food thermometer for food safety reasons. Let the chicken cool for 20 minutes, then remove the skin and bones and cube the chicken.

Whichever way you get your cooked chicken, be sure to add it to the dressing while the meat is still warm so it stays tender and absorbs flavors from the dressing.

Tips for the best Chicken Broccoli Salad:

• You can use fresh broccoli florets or frozen broccoli. To cook fresh florets, put them into boiling water for 2 ro 4 minutes or until tender. You can also roast the broccoli in a 400°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp around the edges. For frozen broccoli, follow the package directions.
• Make the dressing before you do anything else (other than start the chicken cooking in the oven). Then add the other ingredients as you prepare them.
• You’ll need about 4 chicken breasts to make 6 cups of cubed cooked meat, or 2 rotisserie chickens

Why this recipe works:

• The mustard dressing, the tender chicken, and the crisp broccoli and red bell peppers all combine to make a very satisfying salad.