Panzanella Salad with Chicken

Panzanella Salad with Chicken

With it being full on summer here already, I have really been looking for recipes for dinner that won't heat up the house. This recipe is from Skinnytaste cookbook. I've added a few things to add more flavor. This is a perfect summer dinner and can either be made on the grill or in the oven/stove top. 

Ingredients

2 pints heirloom grape tomatoes-halved 

(Or regular cherry tomatoes if you can't find the heirloom)

1/2 cup red onion-diced

8-10 fresh basil leaves-thinly sliced

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1 Loaf artisanal bread-diced into 1 inch cubes

1 clove of garlic-minced

1 package fresh mozzarella pearls

1 Tbsp capers

Balsamic Glaze for drizzling

2 Chicken Breast

1 tsp ground thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions

In a large bowl combine tomatoes, onion, basil, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, capers, garlic, mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. Let sit a room temperature for about 20 minutes. You can do the next two steps either on the grill or as follows. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with tin foil and add the bread cubes. Drizzle with 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and toss until coated. Bake for about 10 minutes until crusty. While the bread cooks, in a grill pan drizzle with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and garlic powder. Add to hot skillet and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and let sit on a cutting board for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle sliced into strips. To assemble then salad toss the tomato mixture with the toasted bread and grilled chicken. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. If you aren't going to eat it all at once don't mix it all together right away or your bread will get soggy.