By July Fourth weekend and it was not a celebration in any normal sense — it could not be, the week after DeAndre and the month of everything else. We stayed home. Daddy put the flag on the porch and then sat on the steps and looked at it for a while. I understood that. Some symbols contain contradictions you cannot resolve, only acknowledge.
We had a small family gathering: just us and MawMaw Shirley and Uncle Terrence, which was within the still-in-effect gathering guidelines. MawMaw came and sat at our kitchen table and we ate: Daddy's grilled chicken, my potato salad, corn on the cob, MawMaw's jalapeño cornbread. Simple food. Food that did not ask anything of us except that we be present enough to eat it.
MawMaw looked at me across the table at one point and said, with no preamble, "You're going to be okay." Not the okay of pretending things are fine but the okay of surviving things that are hard. I know the difference. She meant the second one. I said, "I know." She said, "I know you know." We went back to eating.
Jamal called from campus that evening — he was there for early workouts — and we talked for a while about DeAndre and about the summer and about what it was like to be Black in America in 2020 and young and trying to build something in the direction of who you wanted to be. He said he thought about it every day. I said I thought about it every day too. We said it without despairing, which is not the same as not feeling the weight. Carrying something doesn't mean you can't walk. You just walk differently. With more intention. You have to mean every step.
Daddy’s grilled chicken was the anchor of that meal — the thing that held everything else together without demanding attention — and this chopped salad is the recipe I keep coming back to because it does the same thing. It’s the kind of dish you can put on the table and it just sits there, honest and filling, not asking you to perform any feeling you don’t have. We needed food that let us eat in peace, and grilled chicken over crisp, cool greens was exactly that.
Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen and thawed, or grilled)
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup ranch or chipotle ranch dressing
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken breasts evenly and let sit for at least 10 minutes while the grill heats.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill chicken 6–7 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- Prep the salad base. While the chicken rests, combine romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, corn, black beans, and cheese in a large bowl. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
- Add the chicken. Scatter the chopped grilled chicken over the top of the salad.
- Dress and finish. Drizzle dressing and a squeeze of lime juice over the salad. Top with fresh cilantro. Toss lightly just before serving, or serve with dressing on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 540mg