When I was a single mom, I practically lived on this fresh salad with goat cheese and chicken. This is a great use for left over rotisserie chicken. The salad is tossed with fresh crunchy romaine lettuce, spiked with creamy goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, sweet cranberries, and hearty pesto chicken breast. Super easy… super tasty!
It hits all the right spots. If you want to make it completely ketogenic (high fat/low carb), omit the cranberries and use chicken thighs.
Look for Annie’s Organic Goddess dressing and use that (and no, I’m not getting paid for promoting it.) Annie’s has more of an Asian flare with a hint of tahini and toasted sesame, where the Firefly’s ranch is fresh and herb-a-vicious. But Annie’s is such a home run with this combo though, use it if you can. It makes a huge difference.
This dressing is not certified organic or gluten free. I’ve posted a picture and link to Annie’s NEW gluten free organic Goddess dressing below. Scroll down to check it out.
How to Make This Salad with Goat Cheese
- Fill a single serving bowl with chopped or torn lettuce.
- Chop a chicken breast (rotisserie or baked) into bite size pieces and toss with pesto.
- Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until lightly golden brown.
- Break goat cheese into small pieces.
- Artfully arrange pesto chicken, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and toasted pine nuts on top of lettuce.
- Drizzle with Annie’s Organic Green Goddess Dressing.
Both dressings are bold and zippy enough to give a good balance to the tart goat cheese while rounding out the sweetness of the cranberries. This is a wonderful salad for any time of year, but if especially now at the end of summer if you want to keep your cool and don’t want to fire up the kitchen on some of these hot muggy days. I hope you like it!
What to Drink with a salad with goat cheese?
Being that this is a meal unto itself, no need for sides or an additional entree. But what to drink? A crisp sauvignon blanc is great with this salad, but a cantaloupe cooler is exceptional! Don’t let the name “soup” fool you. It can be eaten as a soup or sipped as a cooler. Either way, it goes really well with this salad and it’s very refreshing.
Goddess Salad Recipe
Goddess Salad with Pesto Chicken and Goat Cheese Recipe- Bright, fresh, tangy, sweet & savory. Super Yum! | www.lakesidetable.com
Ingredients
- 2 rotisserie chicken
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/3 cup cranberries
- 6 ounces plain or herb goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons Goddess dressing
Instructions
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Chop. Toss. Dress. Eat.
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It’s that simple. Really. But if you want me to break it down, here you go.
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Wash your lettuce. Put it in a bowl. Toss the lettuce with the dressing. If you are feeling adventuresome, use your hands and gently rub the dressing over each piece of the the lettuce.
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Next, chop up your left over rotisserie chicken and mix it with 3 tablespoons (or enough to lightly coat the chicken) of pesto. Put that on the lettuce. Add the cranberries, & goat cheese.
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Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat. 2-4 minutes. Watch carefully. They go from brown to burnt in a nano second!
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Top salad with toasted pine nuts and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
An alternative to making a salad is to make a lettuce wrap by taking a large broad leaf of romain and spread it out. Mix the pesto chicken, cranberries, pine nuts, and goat cheese with the salad dressing. Spoon this mixture over the romain. Roll it up, wrap it up in a paper towel, and eat it on the go. Super fast, super yummy!
Was there supposed to be a recipe included for the Firefly Dressing?
Yes! Thank you, Dottie! I forgot to put the link to the recipe. I just did it so I hope that helps. 🙂 I linked it back to the post I did about the Firefly Grill this summer. The recipe is at the bottom of the article. Let me know if you try it and what you think. Thanks again!
This looks so yummy!