Monday 20 July 2015

You Should Definitely Be Grilling Your Salads

Forget everything you thought you knew about lettuce. For four more easy dinners to grill this week, click here.

Lauren Zaser / Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed

Serves 2

Recipe by Christine Byrne

INGREDIENTS
For the lemon-herb dressing:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 large chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 4-inch piece of baguette, cut into rough 1-inch cubes
1 medium red onion, cut in 6 to 8 wedges
2 medium hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon canola oil

PREPARATION
1. Heat a grill so that one side is hot (450°- 475°F) and the other side is warm (325° - 375°F). On a charcoal grill: pile hot coals on just one half of the grill; On a gas grill: turn the burners to medium-high on one side and medium-low on the opposite side.

2. Soak four wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl, whisk together, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides and let them sit out at room temperature until you're ready to grill.

3. When the skewers have soaked, thread the cubed bread onto two of the skewers, and the onion wedges onto the other two skewers. Put the onion skewers and the halved heads of romaine in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

4. When the grill is hot, place the onion skewers on the hot side of the grill. Cook until the underside of the onions are just starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

5. Place the bread skewers on the very edge of the cold side of the grill, and the chicken thighs on the hot side of the grill, next to the onion skewers. Cook until the chicken thighs are only slightly raw on top, the onions are charred on the bottom, and the croutons are toasted on the bottom, about 5 minutes more.

6. Flip the chicken thighs and rotate the onion skewers and bread skewers. Lay the halved heads of romaine in the center of the grill, cut side-down, and grill until they're wilted and slightly blackened around the edges, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Take the romaine off the grill and set it in a large mixing bowl.

7. By now the chicken should be cooked through, the onions soft and charred, and the bread cubes completely toasted. Pull the onions and bread cubes off the skewers and into the large mixing bowl with the romaine. Let the chicken thighs rest on a cutting board for a few minutes, then thinly slice them and add to the large mixing bowl.

8. To serve, drizzle the lemon-herb dressing into the mixing bowl, toss everything to coat, and divide the salad evenly among two plates.