Awesome Strawberry Hazelnut Salad with Balsamic Chicken & Goat Cheese

By: Nick Church

I thought our Carnivale Caprese Salad was my favorite salad recipe ever until I stumbled upon this creative Strawberry Hazelnut Salad with balsamic chicken and goat cheese. A hearty enough salad to be a healthy dinner entree, this really hits all the taste buds. And honestly, it doesn't require a lot of heavy lifting to create.

Let's get right into it.

Strawberry Hazelnut Salad

Makes approximately 4 medium-sized entree servings.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup hazelnuts
1 chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, diced
1 close garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
2 cups arugula
1 1/2 cups strawberries, quartered and sliced
10 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
honey, for topping

Directions:
First, roast the hazelnuts. Preheat an oven at 450F. Place hazelnuts on a flat cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Do not over roast (as they can easily burn).
To remove the skins, wrap warm hazelnuts in a dish towel and let them sit for 5-10 minutes, then rub the towel vigorously. Don't worry if not all the skin falls off. If you prefer smaller hazelnut pieces, you can gently smash the hazelnuts with a meat tenderizer.
Then, prepare your chicken. Simmer olive oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and water in a pot over high heat. When warmed, add chicken and cook for 15 minutes, covered. Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 more minutes. Slice into salad sized bites.
Finally, prepare the salad. Combine the arugula, strawberries, chicken, goat cheese, and hazelnuts. Toss together. Plate and drizzle with honey on top before serving.

For teas, both a hazelnut tea, like Oregon Breakfast, or a strawberry tea, like the Gratitude Blend, are wonderful with this salad (consider cold brewed iced tea, too).
At dinner affairs, you could pair this salad with a dry white wine such as a Pinot Gris or a Cassis white wine. Having salad for dinner never tasted so good.