Tyent USA…Summertime Salad
Well, after a long and dreary winter, spring has finally arrived and summer is just around the corner. To me, that means putting out a little garden and harvesting fresh greens and vegetables all summer long. I love to piddle in the garden; however, I live in the country. Not everyone is blessed to be able to have a garden of any size, but you can still enjoy the fresh, healthy bounty of a good garden by supporting your local farmers market or even by buying fresh produce from your favorite supermarket.
In addition, when I think of gardens, I think of salads. It’s hard to beat the delicious blend of flavors a good garden salad provides. That is why I’m sharing one of my favorite salad recipes that we just love at our house, the chicken-club salad.
When I lived in Nashville, Tennessee, there used to be a very popular restaurant on West End Avenue called Houston’s. In fact, if memory serves, it was the first one to open in the country. Regardless, they were known for their chicken-club salad with buttermilk garlic dressing.
Sadly, after many years, they moved out of town. Before they left however, I was able to procure from an employee their recipe and would like to share it with you today. It is delicious! The beauty of this salad is you can customize it to fit your tastes.
Chicken Club Salad (with Buttermilk Garlic Dressing)
Main Ingredients: Chicken, lettuce, bacon, avocado (and anything else you prefer)
To begin with, you will need some lettuce. Some people like ice burg lettuce, while some prefer green leafy spinach. I like a good spring-mix for my salad but of course, use what you like. The same applies to the dressing. You may use any salad dressing you like but I will say this, don’t be put off by the buttermilk, I don’t like buttermilk by itself, but it was this dressing that made this salad so delicious. It’s a little sweet and a little spicy.
Chicken:
You can fry or bake your own chicken or take the easy route and buy some chicken tenders already cooked at your favorite market. That’s what I do.
Place your fresh greens in individual bowls. Add the sliced avocado and cooked, cut-up bacon. I like the chicken to be warm so I keep it in the oven on low and add it last. As I said, you can add whatever you like to make your salad taste the way you want it. The way I am listing it is how Houston’s served it. Theirs had cherry tomatoes but I’m not a tomato guy.
The dressing recipe makes one cup. Enough for about four salads.
Buttermilk Garlic Dressing:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon dry mustard
3 ¼ tablespoons of buttermilk (see…not that much)
I toss everything into a blender as I am making it then hit whatever button mixes it well.
(refrigerate it awhile before serving) It’ll last two or three days in the fridge.
To make the salad, just cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, slice the avocado and add it, then throw on some good bacon and there it is. Oh yes, pour on the dressing!
It is so good and bound to become one of your favorites!
Bon appetite!
Side bar: Houston’s served this with a delicious cheesy bread which you can find a recipe for on-line.
Image credit
Fried chicken salad-closetcooking.com
