Description
A quick and tangy chicken cutlet salad featuring leftover chicken cutlets, quick pickled red onions, fresh vegetables, and a simple homemade ranch dressing that balances flavor and texture for a satisfying main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Pickled Red Onions
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup boiling water (or enough to cover the onions)
Salad
- 2 prepared chicken cutlets
- 3 cups crispy green leaf lettuce (Boston, bibb, or your choice)
- ½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ English cucumber, diced small (about ⅔ cup)
- 3 sticks celery, diced small (about ⅔ cup)
- ½ cup peppadew peppers, drained and diced (can use cherry peppers)
- 2 hardboiled eggs, prepared to your liking
Homemade Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup mayo (such as Duke's)
- 1½ teaspoons dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh, minced)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Splash of milk (to thin dressing as desired)
Instructions
- Make Quick Pickled Red Onions: In a heatproof container, combine thinly sliced red onions, whole peppercorns, sugar, white vinegar, and boiling water. Stir to dissolve sugar, cover, and let sit at room temperature while assembling the rest of the salad to pickle the onions quickly.
- Prepare Salad Base: Thinly slice or dice the prepared chicken cutlets. Chop the green leaf lettuce, halve grape tomatoes, dice cucumber and celery, and dice peppadew peppers. Place all vegetables and chicken onto a large serving bowl or plate as the salad base.
- Add Eggs and Pickled Onions: Peel and quarter or slice the hardboiled eggs and add on top of the salad. Drain the quick pickled onions if needed and add these over the salad to infuse tangy flavor.
- Prepare Homemade Ranch Dressing: In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, mayo, dried dill, kosher salt, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper. Whisk together and add a splash of milk a little at a time until the desired dressing consistency is achieved.
- Toss Salad with Dressing: Drizzle the homemade ranch dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together just before serving to evenly coat ingredients without breaking them down.
Notes
- Use leftover chicken cutlets for a quick meal or cook fresh cutlets ahead of time.
- Adjust the pickling time of onions to your taste; longer pickling results in tangier onions.
- Feel free to substitute peppadew peppers with cherry peppers or mild banana peppers.
- Fresh dill can be used instead of dried dill for a more vibrant flavor.
- Add more splash of milk to the dressing if you prefer it thinner and creamier.
- This salad is versatile; try adding other vegetables like radishes or avocado for variation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg
