Pineapple Chicken Salad

A salad can feel thin when it's what's left once everything else has been crossed off the list, and on a hard week that feeling is real. This one pushes back on it. Pineapple and cilantro over good lettuce, a coconut-pineapple dressing blended smooth, chicken roasted plain and sliced over the top. It looks and tastes generous, like a real meal you'd choose, not one you settled for.

Bromelain, the enzyme pineapple is known for, is a compound getting real attention in the research world for how it might interact with the body's normal inflammatory response, still an active and unsettled area of study. The chicken is doing more straightforward work: complete protein your body draws on for the ongoing job of repairing tissue and building the cells your immune system runs on.

Pull a fresh pineapple apart, or run the cilantro under water and actually smell it, and notice these are real plants that grew somewhere before they got to your kitchen. Give that a moment of real notice before the fork goes in.

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh pineapple, blended smooth
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Salad:

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• Sea salt, to season
• 3 cups leaf lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned in juice (not syrup)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Pat the chicken breasts dry and season lightly with sea salt on both sides. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until cooked through and the internal temperature reads 165F (74C). Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

While the chicken cooks, make the dressing. Blend the coconut milk, pineapple, apple cider vinegar, and salt together until smooth. The dressing should be pourable. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Arrange the lettuce, cucumber, and red onion in a large bowl or on two plates. Scatter the pineapple chunks and cilantro over the top.

Slice the rested chicken and lay it over the salad. Drizzle the dressing over everything and serve immediately.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*