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