Hello hello! I know it has been a while so apologies if I am a tad rusty, especially on my writing – i spend most of my time communicating with an almost two year old so we are on a one word conversational level around here. But I have been cooking a fair amount and so thought it was about time to get back on the ole bike.
Chloe is very into “dipping” these days so i have been making a lot of relatively plain things for her to then dip into a fun sauce or hummus (or ketchup if it has been a long week). For my own meal I will just remix these items into fajitas (if beans are involved) or a grain bowl with the dipping sauce as dressing. This week required some extra work because I somehow got 6lbs of chicken in my grocery delivery and with zero freezer space I have been remixing chicken all week, exhausting my usual suspects.
What I like about this recipe is that it uses leftover chicken and it is totally adjustable to how much you have on hand – add more chickpeas if you need to bulk it up or add none if you have chicken coming out your eyeballs like me. The grapes were an experiment and I really like the sweet juicy addition to such a toasty savory curry flavor. If you dont have grapes, soak some raisins and that should do the trick!
I am obsessed with za’atar and put it on and in everything i can – like eggs or bread dough. It is so good. I have a dry blend but you can also find an oil based mixture (ive seen this at whole foods). I can’t recommend it enough for your pantry but if you don’t have it, your croutons will still be delicious tossed in oil and some salt.
Leftover Chicken Curry Salad with Roasted Grapes and Za'atar Croutons
Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
For the salad
1 cup seedless grapes
A few tbl olive oil
2 tsp za’atar*
1 piece day-old naan bread (about 3 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces
2 tsp curry powder
1 ½ cups shredded chicken
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (if canned, rinse and dry thoroughly)
1 ½ cups loosely packed spinach, roughly chopped or torn
For the vinaigrette
2-3 tbl lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450˚F. Toss grapes in a few tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until caramelized. While these cook, toast the croutons.
If using a dry za’atar seasoning, mix the 2 tsp with 1-2 tbl olive oil, if using the oil za’atar mixture give it a stir. Toss torn naan with the za’atar oil blend and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with a few pinches of salt and pepper. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil and keep whisking until emulsified. Adjust the seasoning and acidity to taste.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat add 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and the curry powder, stirring to dissolve. Add the chicken and chickpeas to the pan. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, or until the chicken and chickpeas are warmed through; turn down the heat if the curry powder starts to burn. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and toss with spinach, grapes and croutons. Serve warm.
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