The Ultimate Crispy Chicken Salad
This Crispy Chicken Salad has been the most deliciously surprising salad I have ever had. I was at a business lunch in San Francisco at Piperade and our host and frequent diner there raved about their salad and how it’s pretty much the only thing she orders. I read the description and went for it. I was absolutely fascinated! I ate all of it. It was that good!
I came back home to AZ and kept thinking about this salad! Like obsessively! So I decided to make a recipe inspired by it. I had no idea what the core ingredients were other than what is listed in the dish description on their menu.
It says: Kataifi, Avocado, Manchego, Citrus, Pecan, Basil, Balsamic. That is all I had to go by. Off I went to figure it all out. And I have to admit, I did a great job at this inspirational recipe. I tested it a few times before deciding this is the version I wanted to share with you.
Of course, I highly recommend that you visit Piparade in San Francisco if you live there or are in town. It is so worth a visit. The menu is exquisite!
Now, in the ingredients you will notice there is something called Kadayif and even though I don’t think that is what was used to bread the crispy chicken, I chose to go that route because the chicken felt super light and the crust thin. I loved it. Feel free to substitute with panko if you can’t find it. I got mine on Amazon and the link is in the recipe card.
So what is Kadayif?
Kadaif (Kadayif) is actually finely shredded filo (phyllo) dough which is used in various Middle Eastern desserts.
I thought Kadayif would be super light over the chicken and I think that was a great route to take.
The Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
You can use store bought or you can make one you find online like I did. This is the link to the recipe I used by Salads for Lunch.
The Ultimate Crispy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 thick chicken breast cut in half and each half into another half these will be pounded thin
For the chicken breading
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups Kadayif noodles (kind of like panko)
For cooking the chicken
- Extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning to sprinkle on both sides as chicken cooks
For the salad
- 1 16oz spring mix salad
- 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and carpels separated you can also substitute with grapefruit for a more tart bite
- 2 avocadoes peeled and sliced
- Manchego cheese, shaved and amount to taste I used young Manchego
- pecans to taste
- 6 basil leaves, chopped I like to do these by hand
- Balsamic Vinaigrette homemade or store bought
Instructions
Preparing the chicken
- Cut any fat from the chicken breast. Slice in half to make it into two thin cutlets. Then cut each cutlet into two pieces.
- Place saran wrap over all the chicken pieces and pound until super thin.
Bread the chicken
- In a shallow plate, add the flour. In another deeper plate, add the eggs and whisk thoroughly. In another shallow plate, add the kadayif.
- Place each chicken piece into the flour, shake off excess. Then into the egg mixture, and then into the kadayif. Set aside on another plate.
Cooking the chicken
- In a frying pan, add the extra virgin olive oil. Turn heat to medium.
- Once the oil is hot, place the chicken pieces in and cook for about 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on both sides as you do so.
- Once done, set the chicken aside and assemble the salad.
Assemble the salad
- In salad plates, spread the spring mix or whichever combo you desire.
- Sprinkle the chopped basil over the spring mix.
- Top with a chicken piece. Then follow with mandarin orange carpels, pecans, sliced avocados, shaved manchego cheese and then sprinkle desired amount of dressing.
