Chicken Chopped Salad

I had a conversation with my professor this week — Dr. Hahn, who teaches the behavior interventions course — about what happens when you can't fix someone. This was not about Jess. This was about a case study, a hypothetical student with challenging behaviors, and the textbook answer is you implement the plan, you collect data, you adjust, you persist. And I raised my hand and asked, "But what if you do all of that and it still doesn't work?" And Dr. Hahn looked at me the way professors look at students who are asking something that isn't really about the case study, and she said, "Then you document what you tried, and you keep showing up." I wrote that down. I underlined it. Keep showing up.

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Dad called me Wednesday to tell me about a job he did — a burst pipe in a basement in Burbank, water everywhere, the homeowner in a panic. Dad talked the guy through shutting off the main while he drove over, fixed the pipe in an hour, charged him fair, and drove to the next job. Dad tells me about plumbing jobs the way other fathers talk about golf. I love it. I love that Steve Kowalczyk is fifty-four years old and still excited about fixing a pipe. I love that he calls me to share it. I made him a casserole last time I was home — tuna noodle, the kind Mom makes, the kind that costs about four dollars and feeds the family for two meals. Dad ate it standing at the counter, which is the highest compliment a Kowalczyk man gives food.

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Stayed in DeKalb this weekend. Non-Jess weekend. I studied for midterms and made a sheet pan of roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and whatever vegetables were on sale — this week it was zucchini, which I got for sixty cents a pound at Aldi. Seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, salt, olive oil. Roasted at 425 for forty minutes. Ate it for three days. Total cost: maybe five dollars. This is what I do — I figure out how to eat well for almost nothing, and then I write about it here, because I think there are other people doing the same math I'm doing. The math of what you can afford versus what you deserve, which is more than you can afford, always.

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Jess didn't text this week. I'm trying not to read into that. I'm trying to keep showing up, even when the person I'm showing up for goes quiet. Even when the quiet is the loudest sound I've ever heard.

That sheet pan of chicken thighs got me thinking about what happens when you stop cooking just to survive the week and start cooking to feel something. Jess hadn’t texted, and the apartment was too quiet, and I needed a meal that looked like it had intention behind it — color on the plate, something crisp, something bright. This chicken chopped salad is what I came up with: spice-rubbed chicken on a bed of crunchy greens with a honey vinaigrette you shake together in a jar. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel like you’re showing up for yourself, even when nobody else is.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 large breasts)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar (packed)
1 to 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional and to taste)
10 ounces fresh lettuce (I used a bagged greens mixture with cabbage and shredded carrots)
1 to 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (I used halved cherry tomatoes; use Roma, regular, or your favorite tomatoes)
1 medium cucumber (peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces)
1 medium bell pepper (seeded and diced or sliced into bite-sized pieces (I used yellow; any color is fine))
1 medium ripe avocado (diced or sliced into bite-sized pieces)
Croutons (optional and to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard (I prefer dijon but honey mustard will work)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 425F (use convection if you have it) and line a baking sheet with foil (optional but highly recommended) for easier cleanup.
Prep the chicken. Place the chicken on the baking sheet, and pound to an even thickness. I use an empty wine bottle, but a meat pounder or tenderizing tool, a rolling pin, or a heavy frying pan all work. The chicken doesn’t need to be pounded “thin,” but it needs to be pounded to a uniform thickness so it all cooks through at the same time.
Season the chicken. Evenly drizzle the chicken with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Apply the dry rub. To a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and evenly spoon the dry rub over the chicken on both sides. I add a bit more to the side that’s facing up than the side that’s on the bottom in contact with the baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165F) and done.
Rest the chicken. Allow chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into it (cover with foil if desired to keep it warmer). Resting the chicken really helps lock in the juices and moisture so don’t skip this step.
Assemble the salad base. While chicken bakes, to a large platter or bowl, add the lettuce, and chop the vegetables and add them to the bowl, and optionally add the croutons.
Add the chicken. When chicken is done resting, slice it and add it to the bowl. Make sure to get any run off juices from the sheet pan into the salad bowl because there is a ton of flavor in the juices.
Make the vinaigrette. To a small jar or container with a lid (a canning jar works great), add all ingredients, put the lid on and shake vigorously until combined; taste vinaigrette and tweak as necessary to taste. If it is at all flat, it likely needs more salt. Alternatively, use your favorite store bought vinaigrette or dressing.
Dress and serve. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad as desired (you may not need all of it), toss to combine, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Chopped Salad — Showing Up for Yourself When the Quiet Gets Loud