This roasted broccoli and chicken salad is a satisfying meal. Broccoli florets and red bell pepper are roasted in the oven until they become caramelized and soft. For the chicken, you can pick up a rotisserie chicken from the market or cook a couple breasts. This is also a great recipe to use up leftovers. You can also make this salad on the barbecue and grill the veggies for a summer friendly version (this also goes for the chicken.) For the finishing touch, sprinkle a generous amount of goat cheese on top.
Roasted Broccoli and Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
For the roasted broccoli and pepper:
1 inch large head of broccoli (about 1 ¾ lbs), cut into 1- 2 florets
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
For the rest of the salad:
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 pinch a couple of crushed red pepper flakes of dried oregano
1/2 juice from a lemon (about 2 T), plus additional lemon wedges for garnish
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled
Preparation:
To prepare the broccoli: Heat oven to 500 degrees and place a sturdy baking sheet on the lowest rack. Place broccoli florets and peppers slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
Working quickly, remove baking sheet from the oven and spread broccoli and peppers into an even layer, placing the florets cut-side down when possible. Return to bottom rack of the oven and roast 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through and there are caramelized spots scattered throughout. Be sure not to cook until the tips of the florets turn black.
To prepare the rest of the salad:
Heat 2 T olive oil, sliced garlic, and pepper flakes in a small skillet over med-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft and begins to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken-garlic mixture from heat; stir in oregano and lemon juice.
Toss roasted vegetables with the chicken-garlic mixture and an additional 2 T of olive oil in a large salad bowl. Gently fold in the goat cheese crumbles and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
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