Roast Chicken Salad with Lemony Buttermilk Dressing

Roasted chicken breasts add a little extra flavor to chicken salad—and a dried herb rub takes it a bit further. In this recipe, you want about four cups of shredded meat for six servings, so judge the number of bone-in breasts by size: large equals about 1 1/4 pounds each. I used only two.

The buttermilk dressing has creamy texture with tangy, lemony flavor. It may seem a bit runny at first but after blending with the salad ingredients and setting-up in the fridge for at least an hour, the dressing develops a thicker consistency.  

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Chicken Salad

• 2 large bone-in chicken breast halves with skin (about 2 1/2 lbs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tsp dried herb mixture, such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
• 6 cups torn Boston lettuce leaves
• red wine vinegar, for drizzling
• tomato slices, cucumber spears, olives, and crackers for serving 

Salad Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup mayo
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the Chicken Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Combine the olive oil, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Gently lift the skin from the flesh of the chicken breasts and rub the oil mixture beneath.
3. Roast the chicken until tender and just cooked through, 45-50 minutes. Remove to a plate and let cool completely. 

Chicken Ready to Roast 

Roasted Chicken Breasts

1. Remove the skin from the chicken. Pull the meat from the bones and coarsely shred. (Discard skin and bones.)
2. Place the shredded chicken in a bowl and add the celery, bell pepper, walnuts, and dried cherries or cranberries. Toss to combine.

Shredded Chicken

Salad Mixture

1. Pour the dressing (recipe follows) over the salad and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 6).

Salad with Dressing

To serve, mound lettuce in the center of 6 plates and drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Divide the chicken salad on top of the lettuce. Place tomato slices, cucumber spears, olives, and crackers around the salad and serve.

For the Dressing

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Lemony Buttermilk Dressing

Pan-Seared Scallops with Browned-Butter Wine Sauce

Recipe updated November 2015

One of the most flavorful ways to enjoy tender, sweet sea scallops is also one of the simplest to prepare: a quick sear in butter to caramelize the outside and leave the inside soft and moist. The key is the pan. Nothing works better than hot cast-iron for turning the scallops wonderfully golden brown without overcooking them.

The butter will begin to brown as the scallops sear, but it needs a few minutes longer to darken and develop that nutty browned-butter taste. A splash of white wine and a little floral basil add a bright finish to the sauce.

Note: I served the scallops with a side of wild rice and simple salad greens, but white rice, couscous, or the salad alone would work well too.

If you're a scallop and pasta fan, check out Shrimp and Scallop Pasta with Light Alfredo.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 8 sea scallops (about 2/3 lb, depending on size)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp thinly sliced basil
• wild rice and side salad for serving, optional

Sea Scallops

Preparation

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt until sizzling. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sear on 1 side, undisturbed, until golden brown, 3 minutes. 
2. Turn the scallops and sear another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown on the other side and slightly opaque in the middle. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, wine, and basil to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds.

Beginning to Sear

Seared Scallops 

Browned-Butter Wine Sauce

Plate the scallops and spoon the browned-butter wine sauce over top. Serve with wild rice and a side salad, if desired.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Browned-Butter Wine Sauce

Spaghetti with Fresh-Tomato Meat Sauce

The key to making rich, flavorful meat sauces for pasta is time—and fresh ingredients. Whether you use ground veal, lamb, pork, or beef, as in this recipe, give the sauce at least two hours to develop the deepest flavors of the meat, tomatoes, and other ingredients. 

I used both beef broth and red wine in this recipe to add depth and a little complexity to the flavor—without a complex preparation. Once everything is in the pot, let it go, low and slow.

Sauce Ingredients

I use canned crushed tomatoes in many recipes, but there’s just no substitute for sweet, juicy fresh tomatoes cooked down to a fruity, rich sauce—made all the richer with Italian double-concentrated tomato paste. Look for it in the international section of your supermarket, usually sold in tubes.

For a delicious sauce with fewer ingredients, check out Slow-Cooker, Fresh-Tomato Marinara. (Freeze it in batches for months.)

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb ground sirloin
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs stem tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 8 oz spaghetti
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground sirloin and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking into small chunks, until just cooked through, 7-8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a bowl. Drain excess fat from the pot.

Beef Beginning to Brown

Browned Beef

1. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, broth, parsley, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, crushing tomatoes with the back of a spoon.

Garlic and Onion

Tomato Mixture Beginning to Cook

Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook slowly, 2 hours. (The sauce should be fairly thick.)

Meat Returned to Pot

Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

1. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and add the cooked spaghetti, stirring well to combine.

To serve, divide the pasta and sauce among 4-5 shallow bowls. Pass Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table, for grating.

Pan-Seared Chicken and Zucchini Pasta with Red Kale

A simple pasta dish made with a few fresh vegetables and lean, pan-seared chicken breast is as light and nutritious as it is tasty and satisfying. Searing the zucchini gives it a little charred flavor to balance the sweetness of the tomato and peppery bite of the kale—and it cooks quickly while the chicken is resting.

I topped the pasta with crumbled goat cheese for a tangy, salty finish, but if you’re not a fan of the goat, try crumbled feta or shredded provolone.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 oz mini penne, or other small, short pasta
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes (about 1 1/3 lbs), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups (firmly packed) coarsely chopped red kale
• crumbled goat cheese, for garnish

Vegetables for the Pasta 

Chicken Tenders

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente, 7-8 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper and sear until slightly browned and just cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove to a cutting board and let rest.

Tenders Beginning to Sear 

Seared Chicken Tenders

1. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the zucchini in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper and sear, stirring once or twice, until softened and lightly charred, 6-7 minutes.

Zucchini Beginning to Sear

Seared Zucchini

1. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and shallot and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning.
2. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, 5-6 minutes. Add the kale, cover, and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. 

Garlic and Shallot Beginning to Cook

Tomatoes Beginning to Cook 

Tomatoes Cooked Down 

Kale Added to Skillet

Cooked Tomato Mixture

1. Cut the chicken tenders on the diagonal into thin slices. Add the chicken, zucchini, and drained pasta to the tomato mixture and cook over low heat until hot throughout, 2 minutes.

Sliced Chicken

Skillet Mixture

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 plates or shallow bowls and top each with crumbled goat cheese.