A creamy garlic chicken salad featuring roasted bell pepper and corn, crisp romaine, chicken, and a creamy garlic dressing.
I found it, you guys. Your new weeknight go-to salad! Salads like these are exactly what you need in life when things are just too busy and you’re rushing home from work and don’t really feel like cooking. You can even prep all these ingredients over the weekend and refrigerate them separately before throwing this salad together on a weeknight!
Related: Fresh Peach Salad with Goat Cheese and Crostini
So first things first. I’m super obsessed with roasted garlic – it’s so easy to do and adds such a great depth of flavor to any dish! It’s super simple: peel some garlic cloves, put in an ovenproof dish, cover with tinfoil and roast until nice and tender. It’s great in this salad dressing, but is just as tasty smeared over some crusty bread.
Related: Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
After you roast the garlic, it gets combined with a bunch of goodies like mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, parm, lemon and lots of spices. Once the dressing is prepared, it gets tossed with crisp romaine, crunchy roasted veggies, sautéed chicken breast, and my new favorite nut: pepitas!
Now it’s your turn: what is your go-to weeknight salad recipe? Share with me below!
- 9 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
- 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/3 cup pepitas
- Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add garlic cloves to a small oven-safe glass bowl. Cover with olive oil until cloves are almost completely submerged (this should require about three to four tablespoons). Cover dish with aluminum foil and roast in oven for 20 minutes, until garlic is tender and soft. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- When garlic cloves are finished, turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
- Spread out corn kernels and red bell pepper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2 teaspoons olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown, shaking tray 2-3 times throughout cooking. Turn broiler to high and broil for 2-4 minutes, until crispy and brown.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium sized nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet for 8-12 minutes total depending on how large the chicken breasts are, until golden brown on both sides. When cooked, set aside to cool before cutting into 1/2" cubes.
- While chicken is cooling, prepare salad dressing. Mash or finely mince the roasted garlic and add to a small mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients for the dressing and mixing until fully combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add roasted vegetables, cubed chicken breast, romaine, and pepitas. Dress with several spoonfuls of the dressing and toss until well coated, adding more dressing as needed.