Chicken Dinners
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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Notes:For best results, use good quality, ripe tomatoes. Some baguettes are more dense than others. If the salad seems dry after letting it sit for 15 minutes, mix up a half recipe of the vinaigrette and add to the salad until moistened and flavorful.

About the author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of the new cookbook One Bowl Baking: Simple From Scratch Recipes for Delicious Desserts (Running Press, October 2013), also available at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Powell's, and The Book Depository. Watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. Follow her Chocoholic, Chicken Dinners, Singapore Stories and Let Them Eat Cake columns on Serious Eats. Follow Yvonne on Twitter as she explores Singapore.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: serves 4 to 6
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Special equipment: grill

Ingredients

  • 1 (9-ounce) baguette, halved lengthwise
  • 16 ounces boneless, skinless, chicken breast (about 2 large breast halves)
  • 10 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds tomatoes (about 4 to 5 large), cored, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 English cucumber, halved, cut into 1/2-inch half moons
  • 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • 3/4 cup basil leaves, roughly torn
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Procedures

  1. Heat grill to moderate heat. Place baguette halves on grill, cut side down, and grill until lightly toasted. Transfer to cutting board and let cool. Cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes and reserve.

  2. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill both sides until just cooked through (160°F). Transfer to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes.

  3. Place tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, olives, basil, bread, and chicken in a large bowl. Whisk remaining 9 tablespoons oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until combined.

  4. Pour over salad and toss thoroughly to moisten. Let salad sit 15 minutes. Season to taste and serve.