Summer chicken salad with Herb and Parmesan Vinagrette, Roasted garlic on baguette

It has been hot this week, and we are on vacation, so salad seemed more appealing than a hot meal. 

I baked 2 chicken breast filets at 400F/200C with a little S&P for about 45 minutes (from frozen), and cut the tops off of 2 heads of garlic and wrapped them in foil to toss in the oven as well. 

 I hadn't thought about dressing while at the store, so had to improvise. So while the chicken and garlic were baking, I made a tossed salad, sliced and buttered a baguette lengthwise, and made dressing in the food processor. My hubby helped me by washing vegetables and taking care of the dishes, which he generally does at our house. 

Roasted garlic

Herb and Parmesan Vinagrette

A little of this and that

Chicken salad

Buttered baguettes, ready to go in the oven

Oven toasted baguette with Oven roasted garlic

Tossed Chicken Salad

2 baked chicken breasts, sliced

1/4 zucchini, julienned

1/3 c. pea shoots

1 small bell pepper, sliced or julienned

1 scallion, sliced

Fresh spinach

Chopped romaine

about 6 radishes, sliced

Herb and Parmesan Vinagrette

In food processor, combine:

3 T Extra Virgin olive oil

3 T Vinegar

4 T water

1 t sugar

a dash of salt

2 T fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano from the garden)

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Oven Roasted Garlic on baguette

In oven, bake garlic heads with tops cut off, wrapped in foil. It takes about the same amount of time as baking the chicken. Slice baguette lengthwise, then in smaller pieces if you like. I did it in thirds, then buttered the thirds and opened them butter-side up on a cookie sheet and baked them for 5-10 minutes while the chicken was being sliced for the salad. Then I sliced the thirds into portion pieces. 

Serve with the roasted garlic. You can squeeze the cloves out and spread them, or scoop the garlic out with a knife tip. 

Serves 3 or 2 adults and 2 kids. The toddler ate everyone's bell pepper, zucchini, and radishes, and a ton of chicken. The big girl ate a bunch of baguette pieces with lots of garlic plus some negligible amounts of salad and chicken. Her only complaint was that zucchini didn't taste like anything. My husband cleaned everything up at the end when the rest of us were done, as husbands are wont to do.