FoodFash

FoodFash is a food and travel blog based in Austin, TX.

{Grilled} Chicken Salad

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Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

For someone who’s spent a lot of years talking about how chicken is oh so boring, I’ve been really into chicken lately.  Specifically pounding it with a meat tenderizer, generously seasoning it {with salt, pepper, and garlic powder}, and throwing it on an extra hot cast iron grill pan.

Cast Iron Grilled Chicken

There’s just something about that sear that amps up the ordinary.  And then I got to thinking..  If I already love ordinary chicken salad, would I love chicken salad made with grilled chicken even more?

What to add to chicken salad

The answer was yes.  Grilling the chicken doesn’t change the flavor of the salad dramatically, but it does add enough smokiness to set it apart from traditional chicken salad.  I also added a lot of stuff to my salad: grapes, nuts, celery, and onions.  And just enough mayo to bind it all together.

Shredded Beef With Red Cabbage Slaw

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Red Cabbage Slaw & Shredded Beef

You know those people who take forever to eat salads because they want a bit of every ingredient with each and every bite?  That’s me to a tee, which is why I can’t get enough of shredded meat lately.  It’s a totally lazy way to make sure you get some meat in every bite.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

I crock potted up about 3 pounds of boneless chuck roast with 4 cups of water, 1 chopped onion, 3 chopped celery stalks, 3 sliced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper on low for about 8 hours.  And after shredding with two forks, I did something I hadn’t ever done before, and reduced the stock in a saucepan on high heat for about 20 minutes until it was thick and flavorful.  Game. Changer.

Shredded Beef

After the meat soaked up the bulk of the reduction, I spread a thin layer of it on a plate and topped with a heaping scoop of red cabbage slaw.  And that slaw… was really the highlight of this meal.

I used a mandolin slicer to achieve super thin and delicate slices of cabbage.  Then added mild veggies, cilantro, citrus, and homemade mayo to create a light slaw that’s perfect for summer {especially a Texas summer}.  I’m so looking forward to coming home to these leftovers tomorrow!