Chicken, Date and Goat Cheese Salad

The return of Spring always reminds me of how much I look forward to Summertime each year. And as the sun warms up a little more each day, and markets begin to carry all kinds of fun produce, I get a hankering to eat salad for dinner once again. 

This salad is based on one of my local restaurants that makes amazing rotisserie style chicken, which is what makes this dish so delicious. I like to use a combination of red leafed lettuce and butter lettuce, which are both normally available pre-washed in bags to save you a little time.

The dressing is so easy to put together and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen.

Throw everything into a little jar, tupperware or bottle and shake away. 

You'll end up with a beautifully creamy, slightly sweet and sour dressing that tastes good on any salad. 

The salad will sit well undressed for a few hours or up to overnight (if you like leftovers for lunch), just leave out the avocados until the last minute.

Chicken, Date and Goat Cheese Salad

1 store bought Rotisserie Chicken (use whichever meat of the chicken you prefer, you'll need about a cup)
1 lb bag or 1 head of your favorite lettuce
10-15 cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 C frozen corn, thawed and pat dry
1/2 an English Cucumber (the ones wrapped in plastic wrap) cut into small pieces
6-7 pitted dates, chopped into small pieces
1/4-1/3 C walnuts or slivered almonds, chopped
1 avocado, cut into cubes
1/2 a tube of goat cheese, crumbled

In a large bowl, layer all ingredients starting with the lettuce followed by the remaining vegetables, then the nuts, dates, chicken and cheese. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to eat. Toss with the dressing and serve.

Dressing

1 T spicy brown mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. herbes de provences or italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C olive oil

Place all ingredients into a tightly sealed container and shake to emulsify. You can double this recipe to use on other salads, it will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. If it hardens, just place the sealed jar into a bowl of hot water until the oil liquifies again.

Enjoy!