15 Minute Dinner Salad – Roast Chicken over Spinach with Grape Tomatoes, Cauliflower & Zucchini

You’re probably noticing a theme here of left overs turning into creative salads or burritos, for the grown ups depending on my mood and available time. This salad is delicious and easy and helped me out of the weeknight ‘how much time can I really put in before compromising my children’s bed time’ conundrum.

I served the left over roast chicken with (also leftover) barley and veggies on the sides for the kids.  For my husband and I, the warmed roasted chicken topped a simple salad with baby spinach, steamed zucchini, cauliflower and grape tomatoes.

Expectations:

Time:  Start to finish this takes me about 15 minutes to have ready….which is why I’m in love with salads!

Size:  This serves my family of four one time.

Kid modifications:  My children don’t eat salad yet, so when I make salads I either warm up leftover grains (in this case barley), or serve the salad components to the kids (separated) with wheat bread or a wheat tortilla spread with a small amount of hummus,

Chopped zucchini for steaming, grape tomatoes, cauliflower & cucumbers

Ingredients:

• About 1 cup of baby spinach per grown up.   If your kids eat salads, use 1/2 a cup per child or serve (as I did) leftover grains for the kids — i.e. pasta, barley, cous cous 
• Roasted chicken (leftovers good use for the leftovers if you tried the roast chicken recipe or easy to pick up a store-bought rotisserie chicken).  About 1 or 2 pieces of chicken per grown up & I use about a 1/4 cup of chicken for each child.
• 1 cup of sliced zucchini (cut into thin rounds)
• 1 cup of sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of cauliflower florets – sliced
• Balsamic vinaigrette or your favorite salad dressing
• Optional: cucumbers, sliced thin into rounds (or cut into small cubes)

Steps to put this on your table:

• Warm the roasted chicken, I braise mine in a mix of equal parts olive brine and orange juice (about 1/4 cup of each), over low heat for 6 –  8 minutes while chopping the vegetables and setting the table.  You can add the zucchini to a steamer insert and cover the pan to steam them while the chicken heats or steam the zucchini right in with the grains (if using for the kids) in a separate small pan at the same time.

Warming roast chicken in an olive brine & orange juice braise.

• Add the spinach, steamed zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower and cucumber (if using) to bowls for each salad eater.

For kids that don’t eat salad yet (mine) put the grains, vegetables and chicken onto kids plates — not touching of course! 

• Dress with balsamic vinaigrette or another salad dressing of your choice.
• Top with roast chicken.
• Serve & enjoy!

Warm chicken salad with steamed zucchini, cauliflower & grape tomatoes.

Here’s how I modified this for the kids, veggies on the side served with (leftover) barley instead of over a salad.