Chicken Salad With Zucchini, Lemon and Pine Nuts

Queen Dana's Note:

From Food & Wine April 2009. Prep time includes marinating. According to Food & Wine "Hearty main-course salads tend to pair best with a wine that has some body (lighter styles get a bit lost). Try the smoky 2007 Perrin Réserve Côtes du Rhône Blanc or the peppery 2007 Domaine Lafage Côté Est."

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 3 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/3 cup dried currant
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• finely grated lemon zest, plus
• 2 lemons, juice of
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium zucchini, cut into 3-by-1/2-inch sticks (2 pounds)
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 cups lightly packed baby arugula leaves
• 1 inch piece preserved lemon rind, peel only, slivered (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, cover the currants with hot water and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large nonreactive bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic, cumin, lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Add the zucchini and currants and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in a large, shallow glass or ceramic dish, combine the minced shallot with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the remaining lemon juice. Add the chicken breast halves, turning to coat thoroughly with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning a few times.
4. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing a few times, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
5. Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade, scraping off the shallot. Slice the chicken on the bias 1 1/2 inches thick and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken slices and cook over moderately high heat, turning a few times, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
6. Transfer the chicken to a large, shallow serving bowl and let cool slightly. Add the marinated zucchini and currants, toasted pine nuts, arugula and preserved lemon and toss lightly. Serve right away.

Reviews

[MarraMamba]

A really yummy main course salad, loved it!

[Scoutie]

A very tasty salad for lunch! I grilled the chicken, cuz we love grilling and used romaine lettuce instead of the arugula which needed to be used up. Thanks for posting Dana. Made for ZWT 6.