Now I know what you’re thinking, “Another Chicken Salad recipe?” I wasn’t joking when I said I like to make a quick chicken salad during the week. After making my Grilled Peach Cherry and Goats Cheese Salad, I decided to adapt it to make this Chicken Peach and Mozzarella Salad.

I regularly make a smaller version of this with prosciutto ham instead of the chicken for a starter or light lunch. I’m clearly not alone, now that it’s stone fruit season, my timelines seem to be full of peach and cheese salads. Not that I’m complaining. You can of course leave the meat off completely for a vegetarian dish.

I love making cooking peaches on a griddle pan as they work so well in salads and the leftovers can be served with yogurt for breakfast. Or sprinkle a little brown sugar on them before cooking and serve hot with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Grilling them draws out their juices and makes them even sweeter. It’s also a great way to use harder fruit that hasn’t fully ripened. If you’re having a barbeque add a few peaches to the rack as it cools for an even more hassle free way to cook them.

 

 

Useful tips & links:

• I have used peaches here but you could use nectarines too.
• I’ve topped this with toasted pine nuts for crunch. Be very careful, pine nuts are expensive and you really don’t want to burn them. You can use other nuts or seeds instead if you have them.
• Have a look at Lilly Higgin’s gorgeous Pickled Peach Salad for more inspiration.
• If you fancy something sweeter, how about my Cherry and Peach Galette?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken, Peach and Mozzarella Salad

Serves 2

 

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, butterflied
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• Salt and pepper
• 2 peaches
• 150g of mozzarella
• A handful of lettuce or rocket leaves
• ½ a small red onion, finely sliced
• A small bunch of basil
• A handful of pine nuts

 

Method:

• Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and a little salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Place the chicken breasts into a bowl and coat well with half of the balsamic marinade. Set aside while you prep the rest of the salad.
• Arrange the leaves and sliced onions on plates. Use the remaining marinade to dress the leaves and onions and mix through.
• Roughly tear the mozzarella and add that to the salad.
• Heat a griddle pan or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Slice the peaches into wedges and brush with a little oil. Cook them on the griddle pan for a couple of minutes on each side until slightly charred on each side. Remove from the pan and arrange over the salad. You might not need all of the peach, store the remaining wedges in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Heat a dry pan over a medium heat and gently toast the pine nuts until golden brown and set them aside.
• Put the pan back on the heat and take the chicken out of the marinade. Cook the chicken breasts for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and the marinade has started to caramelise. Remove from the pan and rest them for a few minutes.
• Arrange the rested chicken on the salad, top with some torn basil leaves and the toasted pine nuts.