Walnut-Crusted Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Walnut-Crusted Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

• For the Chicken
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1.25 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders/strips

• For the Salad
• 2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 cups fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 8 cups mixed greens
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

• For the Dressing
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare the chicken. In the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment, pulse together the walnuts, bread crumbs, thyme leaves, lemon zest, salt and black pepper until the mixture resembles course sand. Transfer this mixture to a zip-closure bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag and shake until the chicken is well coated, separating the chicken pieces if they get stuck together. Lay the coated chicken out into a single layer in a 9 X 13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Prepare the vegetables. In a large bowl, toss together the brussels sprouts, potatoes, olive oil, lemon juice salt and pepper until the vegetables are well coated. Spread the vegetables out onto a large rimmed baking sheet.
4. Transfer the coated chicken and prepared vegetables to your pre-heated oven to bake. Cook the chicken for approximately 15 minutes, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature measures 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the vegetables for approximately 20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a small knife and the brussels sprouts are blackened in a few spots. Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, make the salad dressing. In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
6. Assemble the salads. Toss the mixed greens with the dressing, using an amount of dressing that suits your taste preferences. Divide the dressed greens between four bowls. Top with the cooked chicken, prepared vegetables, chopped apple and walnuts, dividing the ingredients evenly between the four bowls. Serve immediately.