Man-Pleaser Salad

Even though Mr. E really likes salads, some seem to really go over better than others.

Enter the BBQ Chicken + Blue Cheese Salad {with candied pecans and dried cherries}.

The idea originally came (not from this book) from the sister-in-law of my friend Terri, who, if I remember correctly, worked as a chef on a yacht.  Terri & I were both newly married and learning how to cook, and Terri's SIL suggested salad with BBQ chicken, balsamic dressing, blue cheese and pecans.  It was the first fancy salad I ever made...unless you count my mom's salad with spinach and canned mandarin oranges.

This is one of those great salads that doesn't taste too "summery" to me...we eat it all year long.  I think it's the BBQ sauce.  Yep.  I'm sure it is.  BBQ sauce makes it timeless.  You can quote me on that.

Oh!  And have you ever tried this lettuce?  Butter Lettuce?  The leaves are soft and, well, as buttery as a lettuce can get.  We love it.


BBQ Chicken & Blue Cheese Salad

boneless chicken breast (2 per 3 people)
your favorite BBQ sauce
olive oil
butter lettuce (1 head per 3 people)
balsamic vinaigrette (from a bottle or homemade, I like this one)
candied pecans (handful)
dried cherries (handful)
blue cheese (may I suggest one of these?)

Coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce and marinate for 30 minutes or so.  Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the chicken breast until done.  Remove to a plate, tent with foil, and let sit 5 minutes or more.

Tear the lettuce into bite size pieces and divide amongst the plates.  Drizzle on the dressing.

Slice the chicken and place on the lettuce.  Sprinkle on the nuts, cherries, and crumbled blue cheese.  (There are no real measurements here, just however much you like. I leave the blue cheese off for kiddo...he doesn't like it, which means more for me.)

There you have it!  Man (& Woman)-Pleaser Salad