Grilled Chicken with Grilled Greek Panzanella Salad

I was looking for something healthier to eat and found this Panzanella salad. I figured it's loaded with veggies and a little bread so it had to be good for me. Though of course, the toasted bread that had soaked up the dressing was the best part hahah. I decided to pair the salad with some marinated chicken and stuck with the Greek theme. I simply marinated the chicken in basically a lemon garlic vinaigrette. Everything was really filling and didn't make me miss my usual carbs (potatoes, rice, etc).

You could/probably should use feta cheese for this to make it traditional greek but I love queso fresco and it has a really similar texture to the feta. The best part about cooking - you get to customize your cheese choice to whatever your heart desires.

Ingredients:

Panzanella:
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 English cucumbers
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, strained and rinsed
1/2 french baguette, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 pint grape tomatoes (about 20)
1 large red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces queso fresco, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked(or 1 tsp. dried oregano)
2 cloves garlic, charred and finely minced
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
Salt and pepper


Direction:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender. Add to a plastic bag with chicken breast and marinate for 2 hours.

2. Prepare a grill or large grill pan for high heat. Whisk the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, honey, oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. (Dressing can be made ahead)

3. Peel the cucumbers , leaving alternating strips of green peel. Trim the ends, halve the cucumbers lengthwise and slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Add them to the bowl with the dressing. Add the chickpeas.

4. Brush the baguette slices on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Thread 6 or 7 tomatoes on each skewer. (If using wooden skewers, leave just 1/2 inch sticking out on each end so you do not have to soak them.) Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons oil on the tomatoes and the onions, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

5. Place the chicken, bread, skewered tomatoes and onions on the grill. Grill the bread, flipping and rotating frequently, until charred in spots on both sides and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Grill the onions, turning as needed, until charred and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Grill the tomatoes, turning occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and starting to burst, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bread and vegetables to a large cutting board when done cooking.

6. When cool enough to handle, cut the bread into thirds and roughly chop the onions into bite-size pieces. Add them to the bowl with the cucumbers, chickpeas and dressing. Add the tomatoes, queso fresco, and dill. Gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper if needed.Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving, drizzled with olive oil.