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In my economist day job, I spend a great deal of time studying our dysfunctional health care system. A side effect of this research has been to ignite my interest in health and wellness – what can I do to maximize my health through lifestyle choices (e.g., diet, exercise, hours of sleep, etc.) in order to minimize my health care needs. And the good new is, a large body of evidence shows our lifestyle choices can indeed have a very powerful effect on our health outcomes. Therefore, in this season of New Year’s resolutions, I’m recommitting to healthy living – more exercise, more veggies, and more salads! If you are with me, try this Chicken and Lentil Winter Salad.
Notes on Chicken and Lentil Winter Salad
You have to be careful with salads. If you load them with bacon, cheese, croutons, candied nuts, and high fat dressings, they may not be as healthy as you think. This salad balances healthy veggies and lentils with a creamy herby dressing and roast chicken for an overall pretty healthy dinner.
The healthiest ingredients in this salad include the greens, herbs, fennel, radishes, black lentils, and a few pistachios. The fennel and radishes add crunch and are great sources of vitamin C and fiber. The black lentils are also a great source of fiber. I include them to make the salad heartier. If you’re not familiar with black lentils, they’re great for salads because they hold their shape really well as they cook. They provide protein while being low in fat and calories. Pistachios, while high in fat, also provide protein and good nutrients.
Chicken and Lentil Winter Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Green Dressing
- 1 small bunch chives, chopped – 3 tbsp for dressing; reserve the rest for salad
- 1 small bunch parsley, chopped – 3 tbsp for dressing; reserve the rest for salad
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 5 tbsp creme fraiche
- 2 tsp honey
- 4 tbsp good quality olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Salad
- 1 cup black (beluga) lentils, dry
- 2 cups roast chicken, chopped
- about 3 cups little gem lettuce or spring mix,* rinsed and chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced*
- 6 to 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup pistachios
- ⅓ cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup shredded pamesan
- chopped chives
- chopped parsley
Instructions
Green Dressing
- Combined the herbs and apple cider vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Mix together using an immersion blender. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Stir until combined.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can combined all ingredients in a food processor and blend until until smooth. You can also make the dressing without the aid of an appliance – just make sure to mince the herbs as fine as you can.
Salad
- Prepare the lentils: rinse the lentils and put them in a sauce pan with 2 cups of water, ½ tsp salt, and the cloves (if using). Bring the lentils to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 25 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. Remove the lentils from heat and spread them on a baking sheet to cool.
- Combined all ingredients in a large salad bowl
- Toss with dressing
Notes
*I like to use 1 head each of red and green little gem lettuce
*I recommend using a mandoline or food processor to thinly slide the fennel and radishes
If you want to lighten up the dressing, swap low fat sour cream or greek yogurt for the creme fraiche
