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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing

[heart_this] · Mar 20, 2015 · 3 Comments

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing

A salad inspired by the flavours of chicken and wild rice soup on a bed of kale with a tasty creamy asiago and white balsamic pan sauce dressing.

Up next I have another salad for you and this one is based on the flavours of a creamy chicken and wide rice soup! This salad of course starts out with the chicken and wild rice which I throw on a bed of hearty kale and I add some red quinoa for some colour and to add some extra bulk to the salad. Soups very often start with a base of onions, carrots and celery and I did just that and since I like to add mushrooms to my chicken and wide rice soup they were a must and the final ingredient of the salad. The only thing that remained was adding the creamy aspect of the soup and the dressing was the perfect way to do this! Since I had just finished sauteing mushrooms in a pan I figured that a nice creamy pan sauce that picked up all of the mushroom flavour from the pan was a great start and I seasoned the sauce with shallots and garlic before adding some white wine, broth and cream. The sauce would have been perfectly fine like that but I kicked the flavour way up by adding asiago cheese and a few splashes of white balsamic vinegar. This salad is amazing when served with the warm ingredients still warm but it is also good when everything has cooled down. (Even if you do not get to try this salad, you have to try the dressing! I would drink it by the bottle full!)

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing
It was so nice and clean but then you add the dressing and everything gets all kinds of better.

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing
Everything is better with bacon!

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing
All mixed up!

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing

Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 4

A salad inspired by the flavours of chicken and wild rice soup on a bed of kale with a tasty creamy asiago and white balsamic pan sauce dressing.

ingredients
    For the grains:
  • 1/2 cup wild rice
  • 3 cups water or broth
  • 1/2 cup red quinoa (or other colour)
  • 1 cup water or broth
  • For the salad:
  • 6 cups kale, ribs removed and sliced finely
  • 1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded or diced
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, shredded or julienned
  • 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
  • For the mushrooms:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the dressing
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup asiago or parmesan, grated
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
    For the grains:
  1. Bring the wild rice and water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 45 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring the quinoa and water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. For the salad:
  4. Meanwhile, prep the veggies for the salad and slice the mushrooms, onions, etc.
  5. For the mushrooms:
  6. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquids, the liquid has evaporated and they start to caramelized and turn golden brown, about 15-20 minutes, before adding the garlic and thyme, cooking until fragrant, about a minute, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and setting aside.
  7. For the dressing:
  8. Add the butter to the pan, let it melt, add the shallot, cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes, add the garlic, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the wine, deglaze the pan, add the broth, cream and cheese and simmer until the sauce thickens to a dressing like consistency, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the mustard and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. For the salad:
  10. Assemble the salad with the kale topped with the wild rice, red quinoa, chicken, mushrooms, celery, carrots and green onions and toss in the creamy pan sauce dressing.
Option: In order to save on pots you can cook the wild rice in all of the water and add the quinoa after 30 minutes. I prefer to cook them separately in case the wild rice needs a bit longer since I do not want my quinoa to be overcooked and mushy.
Note: This salad is great when served with the grains, mushrooms and pan sauce/dressing are all still warm but it is also good with everything cooled down
Option: Add bacon!
Option: For vegetarian replace the chicken with beans or chickpeas, etc and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 437, Fat 16.9g (Saturated 7.2g, Trans 0g), Cholesterol 63mg, Sodium 325mg, Carbs 48.4g (Fiber 7g, Sugars 3.5g), Protein 26.7g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
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White Bean and Spinach Quinoa Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese in a Bacon Pan Sauce Dressing
Creamy Asiago Chicken and Mushroom Tortellini Soup
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Bacon, Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Mushroom, Recipe, Salad, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. We Are Not Martha says

    March 20, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    This is pretty much my dream salad! It looks beautiful, too!

    Sues

    Reply
  2. terry toelkes says

    March 20, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    are your dressings and sauces in a certain section by themselves so they could be used for other salads and whatevers. It is hard to remember what salad you put what dressing with and I like some for other things also.

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    March 30, 2015 at 1:48 am

    Everything really is better with bacon!

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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