Grilled Chicken Salad with Maple Vinegar Dressing

I always fall back on a maple vinegar sauce for chicken. My husband isn’t crazy about it just on plain baked chicken, but if I grill the chicken and mix it up with some greens and potatoes, it turns out pretty tasty. Last week also added an apple to it. You could also use leftover chicken.

I love the taste of real maple syrup, so this recipe is a favorite of mine. Even my son wanted more at dinner last night!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Maple Vinegar Dressing

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs, grilled and chopped (you could also bake or saute them)
3-4 potatoes, cut in wedges and baked with oil, salt and pepper
greens for salad

Sauce Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped French shallots (or substitute onions)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup

Topping Ingredients:
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup leeks (approximately half of a leek)
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
Salt
Ground pepper

Directions:

For the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent. Add the pepper and the nutmeg. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil, and then add the maple syrup. Return the sauce to a boil. If it is too vinegary, add more maple syrup.

For the topping: Heat the butter in a small skillet. Add the leeks. Continue pan-roasting for a few minutes until leeks are cooked slightly. Add the cranberries, toasted almonds, and bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the salad greens. Toss the chicken, potatoes, sauce, and topping together.