Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad

This Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad is fresh, healthy and loaded with delicious seasonal flavor!

You'd laugh if you knew how many renditions of this Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad there have been. I got the idea at least a month ago, shortly after creating my Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette. I wanted a healthy but hearty seasonal salad to go with the wonderful citrusy dressing.

Each version of the salad has been good, but I wasn't completely satisfied till now. I've tried beets, chickpeas, quinoa, arugula, spinach, sunflower seeds, cashews and lots of different renditions of pan-seared chicken. I think it's finally just right, and I'm hoping that you'll enjoy it as much as we have!

I love fresh, healthy salads all year round, but sometimes in the heart of winter, they just don't appeal as much. That's when I like to change things up and add a few seasonal touches that make me start craving them again. What kind of seasonal touches? Well, for one, instead of serving the salad cold, I like to add a few warm components, like the chicken and the potatoes in this Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad.

And to me, cooler weather salads need to have a bit more substance. Potatoes, pasta, and grains help give winter salads that heartier profile that we all seem to crave when the cold winds blow. Finally, a delicious dressing with fresh seasonal ingredients like this bright, vibrant Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette will take just about any salad from mundane to mouthwatering!

Seasonal ingredients for Winter Salads

Here's a list of other winter seasonal ingredients I enjoy using in salads:

• Beets
• Grapefruit
• Clementines
• Blood Oranges
• Pomegranates
• Kale
• Apples
• Pears
• Spinach
• Winter squash
• Cauliflower
• Roasted vegetables
• Blue and Roquefort cheeses

I shared in the last post my quest to find the best way to ensure juicy, tender sautéed chicken breasts. It took awhile, but my Restaurant Style Sautéeed Chicken Breasts are perfect for this salad and I know I'll be using them in lots of other recipes going forward, as well. They're easy and super delicious!

The roasted potatoes make this salad universally appealing as well as a complete meal in a bowl. After all, who doesn't love tiny potatoes, roasted in a splash of olive oil till crisp and golden? They only take about 20 minutes and can be done while you're sautéing the chicken.

So add chicken, potatoes, oranges, tomatoes and avocados to your shopping list and put this Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad on the menu this week. It's easy enough for a healthy weeknight dinner and elegant enough for a casual dinner party. Serve it with some warm, crusty bread and you'll be certain to see happy faces around the dinner table.

Café Tips for making this Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad

• Feel free to customize this salad; use different types of greens (I like to go with whatever is freshest and prettiest at the market.), add or substitute any of the seasonal ingredients listed above.
• The salad would also be delicious with this Whole Lemon and Thyme Dressing in lieu of the Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette.
• I mentioned this in the last post, but wanted to share if again in case you missed it; if you don't care for cilantro, the dressing is also delicious made with fresh basil.
• To keep the avocados from turning brown, toss them with a bit of the dressing before adding to the salad.
• Sunflower seeds or cashews are also delicious in this Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad instead of the pistachios. Add the nut/seeds last, after drizzling with the dressing
• Dress the salad lightly then pass extra dressing at the table. I like serving salad dressings in a pretty little pitcher, cruet or carafe. I've found some beautiful ones at thrift shops, antique shops and yard sales. It's fun to give a jar of homemade dressing and a pretty little pitcher to foodie friends, as a gift.
• When preparing the chicken for this salad, I like to make extra for other meals during the week. It makes wonderful sandwiches when thinly sliced.
• Use a good quality sheet pan when roasting the potatoes. A pan that's made of lightweight metal will warp when placed in the 450˚F oven called for in this recipe. I really love these KitchenAid sheet pans and also these Commercial Nordic Ware pans. They're both heavy duty and hold up well.

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5 from 3 votes

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Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad

What's for dinner? This Warm Chicken and Roasted Potato Salad is fresh, healthy and loaded with delicious seasonal flavor!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course, Salad

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Servings: 4

Calories: 273 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound small potatoes halved
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces bib or red lettuce see note above in post
• 24 medium grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 large avocados use two if small
• 2 medium navel oranges peeled and sliced thinly
• ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
• 1 recipe Restaurant Style Sauteed Chicken Breasts sliced in ¾-inch slices
• 1 recipe Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette
• roasted salted pistachios

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. For the potatoes, preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place potatoes on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss to coat potatoes with oil, then arrange potatoes in an even layer. Roast for 15 minutes then redistribute with a metal spatula, gently scraping any potatoes that have stuck to the pan. Roast for another 10-15 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Remove from oven and keep warm while preparing the salad.

2. To prepare the salad, arrange lettuce in a bowl or on a dinner plate. Arrange chicken, oranges, avocado, potatoes and red onion around the chicken.
3. Drizzle with the Orange Cilantro Vinaigrette and scatter the roasted, salted pistachios over the top.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in post for additional instructions and information.

Nutritional information does not include dressing or chicken. See those separate posts for that information.

Calories 273kcal

Fat 14g

Saturated fat 2g

Sodium 619mg

Potassium 1150mg

Carbohydrates 33g

Fiber 9g

Sugar 9g

Protein 6g

Vitamin A 3930%

Vitamin C 85.1%

Calcium 99%

Iron 5.2%