Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com
Chicken, Cucumber and Nectarine Salad
This light yet satisfying summery salad is meant to be flexible and adaptable, the kind of easy weekday recipe that helps you turn the odds and ends in your fridge into a quick and healthy meal. Consider swapping in torn mozzarella or goat cheese for the feta, using basil instead of mint, or using any roasted nuts you’ve got on hand. If you can’t find a ripe nectarine, a peach, a plum or a handful of juicy berries would work great, too. The key is to keep the ingredients fresh and bright, and to dress the salad just before eating it so everything stays crisp. Serve with a cold glass of white wine and a nice hunk of bread on the side.
Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com
- Yield:
- 4 servings
- Prep:
- 15 min
- Cook:
- 5 min
- Total:
- 20 min
Adjust servings, check off ingredients, and save a copy in the recipe reader.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces Little Gem, butter or romaine lettuce, any large pieces torn in half
- 1 large, ripe nectarine, halved and pitted
- 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken, from a rotisserie chicken or homemade
- 1 cup ½-inch-diced English cucumber
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
- ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
- 1 large or 2 small scallions, white and green parts chopped
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large serving bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
- Add the lettuce and toss gently but thoroughly with tongs or your hands.
- Cut nectarine into ½-inch thick slices, then stack the slices and cut them in half crosswise. Add to the bowl, along with the chicken, cucumber, cashews, feta, mint and scallions. Toss gently. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and serve immediately.