Tuscan Grilled Chicken Salad

This recipe came in a free issue of Cook's Country magazine that somehow landed in my mailbox. I cut it out and was saving it in my recipe binder. We had some fresh mozzarella cheese in the fridge that needed to be used up, and when I searched my recipe file, this came up amongst a sea of baked pasta ideas. I decided to use it on the salad since that would be a nice break from the typical heavy winter fare. I grilled the chicken inside on our grill pan (still too cold to go outside for the grill!) and it was very quick and easy to throw together. The flavors were wonderful together, even though I had to use sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar in the dressing.


Tuscan Grilled Chicken Salad
Source: Cook's Country

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 small garlic cloves, minced, pressed or grated
salt and pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 (1-inch-thick) slices crusty Italian bread
1 (8-ounce) bag baby arugula (about 8 cups) (I used iceberg since I was being lazy)

Directions:
Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette in a large bowl.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Brush bread slices with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and grill over hot fire until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Add arugula and remaining dressing to bowl with mozzarella mixture and toss until combined. Transfer to individual plates. Slice chicken and place on top of salad. Serve with grilled bread.