Peach Salad with Pecan Chicken and Gorgonzola
“Movin’ to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches, I’m movin’ to the country, I’m gonna eat me a lot of peaches….If I had my little way, I’d eat peaches every day”…especially now that they’re in season! There’s nothing quite like a fresh peach that is so ripe the juice dribbles down your arm or all over your shirt. When summer arrives, I go all in with peaches!
Today’s recipe is inspired by this beloved stone fruit. I was craving a salad and decided to toss crispy pieces of oven-baked chicken coated in ground pecans and panko with peaches, spring greens, and a nice dose of crumbled gorgonzola. My peaches actually weren’t quite as ripe as I would have liked, so I went ahead and sautéed them in a little brown sugar and butter to soften them up, but feel free to skip this step if your peaches are already super juicy. I also added a bit of peach jam to my vinaigrette so the theme carried all the way through the dish. I originally was going to mix in some jicama for a little extra crunch, but Trader Joe’s didn’t have any, and I was feeling way too lazy to head to another market – next time though. Yay for peaches.
And, now that song is totally stuck in my head…again! Anyone else?
Peach Salad with Pecan Chicken and Gorgonzola
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
Pecan Chicken:
3/4 cup ground pecans (I pulsed mine in the food processor)
3/4 cup panko
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
2 large eggs
Peaches:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
3 peaches, pitted and sliced
Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon peach jam
Pinch of salt
For assembly:
1 5-ounce package spring greens
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
Directions:
To make the pecan chicken, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix ground pecans, panko, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a shallow pan. Put the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge all sides of the chicken in it, working in batches. Place the eggs in another shallow dish and beat well with a fork and dredge all sides of the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture; place chicken pieces in the pecan mixture and coat well on all sides. Place coated chicken pieces on a large greased cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 8 to 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Cool to room temperature.
To make the peaches, heat butter and brown sugar in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the peaches and stir to coat well. Sauté for 5 to minutes or until peaches are soft. Cool to room temperature.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk olive oil, vinegar, peach jam, and salt in a small bowl.
To assemble the salad, toss spring greens with the vinaigrette, then stir in the cooled chicken and peaches, and crumbled gorgonzola. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition: 557 calories, 29.3g fat, 5.4g fiber, 40.6g protein per serving
Cost: $3.08 per serving