Italian Chicken Salad

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Italian Chicken Salad and Quesadilla




Welcome everyone!  Today's dinner is a chicken salad with Italian dressing. (We added a pepperoni and cheese quesadilla as a side dish.)


Salad Ingredients:

  • Leafy greens
  • Chicken, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • Yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • Orange bell pepper, chopped
  • Diced mozzarella cheese
  • Black olives, sliced
  • Grape tomatoes, sliced
  • Diced onion
  • Italian dressing



I usually prep my own veggies early in the day so that I can quickly assemble dinner.  



I also like to cook the chicken early.  For this recipe, I used an 18oz. package of chicken breast fillets.  To prepare the chicken, I brined it with 1 tablespoon of EVOO and 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt.  I let the chicken soak in the brine in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  (I typically do not marinate my chicken in Italian dressing because I often use the chicken for different recipes.)

To cook the chicken, I placed both fillets in the air fryer with a temperature set to 360 degrees.  I cooked the chicken for 20 minutes.  

After letting the chicken rest, I diced it into bite-sized pieces.  I divided the chicken into two bowls.  One bowl is for the salads, and the other bowl has been seasoned and will be used for chicken tacos.

 For the cheese, I divided one 8oz. block of mozzarella cheese in half.  One half has been cubed for the salads; the other half has been grated.



Now, back to the salad!


To Assemble

Arrange a couple handfuls of leafy greens on a large plate.  Tear the larger pieces if desired.  Place 1/4 cup of chicken (or more) in the center of the salad.  Add vegetables and cheese, if desired.  Add two tablespoons of Italian dressing (or however much dressing you prefer.)  

We made three salads since we are a family of three.

What to serve with the salad?

We usually bake garlic bread, garlic toast, or mozzarella sticks to go with the salad.  However, we had a surplus of tortillas so we made an Italian-inspired quesadilla.  


Quesadilla Ingredients: (for 3 quesadillas)

  • 3 fajita sized tortillas
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 12 pepperoni slices
  • Sliced black olives
  • EVOO
Warm a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Add a small amount of EVOO.

Place tortillas on a microwave-safe plate.  Warm tortillas for 10 seconds.  Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add 4 pepperoni slices, 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese, and sliced black olives on half of the tortilla.  Fold the tortilla over.

Cook the tortillas over medium heat for a few minutes. Flip the tortillas as needed to crisp both sides.   



The Work Lunch

For my husband's work lunch, I prepared chicken soft tacos. These are 3 street tacos filled with seasoned chicken (pictured above), tomatoes, olives, onion, shredded low fat cheddar cheese, and hot sauce.   



Well, that was a lot of work, but everything turned out delicious.  

Let me know if you have any questions! Feel free to leave a comment. 

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