Grilled Lemon Chicken Salad

Yield: 4 servings

I adapted this recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook to serve 4. In my copy of the cookbook, this page is well-used and wrinkled – always a good sign of an old favorite! “Ina” calls for marinating the chicken for 6 hours or overnight – I go for 30 minutes. Do whatever works for you!

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
• ¾ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• ¾ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup raw sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed
• ½ red bell pepper, julienne
• ½ yellow bell pepper, julienne
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Procedure:

1. For marinade, whisk together ½ cup lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and thyme. Pour over chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a charcoal grill, or grill pan, and cook chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool in the refrigerator. Slice breasts diagonally into 3/8-inch-thick slices.
3. Toss chicken in a bowl with its juices, plus the ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, sugar snap peas, red and yellow peppers, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and lemon slices.
4. Taste for seasoning and serve cold or at room temperature.