Just Eat It: Chicken and Kale Salad

By Stiff
My inspiration for cooking can come from a variety of things. Sometimes I get inspired by having a dish from a restaurant that I’ve never had before and try to replicate it at home. Sometimes inspiration comes from recipes I may see on television. I mostly get inspired by the certain items I see in the grocery store or farmer’s market.

Sometimes I fail at the outcome of what I’m making and sometimes I succeed. I just like to try new things and expand my horizons when it comes to testing new ingredients or cooking methods. James, my husband is a great guinea pig. He will generally eat whatever I make and is honest about how the food tastes. Unlike James, I myself am much more critical about how my food turns out.

Chicken and Kale Salad

6-8 c. Kale

1 Large poached chicken breast

1 Large ripe orange

1/2 c. Cooked wheat berries

1/4 c. Olive oil

2 T. Apple cider vinegar

1/4 Lemon

1 t. Kosher salt

1 t. Cracked black pepper

1 t. Garlic powder

1 t. Onion powder

Serving Size: 2

I poach my chicken breast ahead of time so I can use them for different recipes. I poach them in water with no salt and cook them until done but not over cooked. The chicken can get chewy if it is over cooked. Depending on the size, if they are large breasts, I will poach them for 45 minutes.

I cook my wheat berries ahead of time as well and then refrigerate them until I’m ready to use them.

Wash and pat dry about 5-6 large raw kale leaves (6-8 cups). If they’re really large leaves, cut them in half down the stem of the leaf, then fold the leaves together and cut into 1/2” ribbons. Transfer ribboned kale to a large mixing bowl.

Add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, apple cider vinegar, juice from the 1/4 of the lemon to the mixing bowl. Mix into kale until well combined.

Take the orange and supreme the meat of the orange and transfer to kale bowl. Take the remainder of the orange and squeeze the juice into the kale bowl. Mix until well combined.

Take one large chicken breast and shred into small, bite sized pieces and add to kale bowl. Add wheat berries to bowl and mix until well combined. Taste and add more seasoning as necessary.

Plate and enjoy.

Cook Time: (if chicken and wheat berries are made ahead of time) 30 minutes.

(Stiff is an amateur home cook and food blogger. Stiff can be found at a grocery store, Instagram @stifferoni and Tumblr: http://stiffers.tumblr.com/.)