How about summer-y chicken dish with an olive tapenade that stays moist and tender-tasting right out of the cooler? Both dishes combined with a salad that won’t wilt, staying fresh, crisp and cold makes this menu a winner. It can all be made ahead, so it is great for a lunchtime picnic.
Ingredients – chicken
4-6 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of Kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 TB minced fresh garlic
1/2 TB capers, chopped
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 lemon
Method
Fill a deep frying pan about 3/4 full with water. Allow to come up to a simmer. Add the white wine. Trim your chicken breasts of any fat, etc. and add to the pan. Simmer for about 12 – 15 minutes until fully cooked. Set aside to cool. Zest and juice lemon and add those to the processor with the remaining ingredients. Buzz until it is a chunky puree. Serve over the chicken with the summer bean salad below.
Ingredients – bean salad
1 can garbanzo beans
1 pound green beans ( a combo of green, yellow and purple is great if you can find them)
1 large red onion
4 stalks celery
1 large red pepper
2 large bunches of green onion
1 bunch fresh tarragon
1 bottle of Frey white wine
1 large shallot
2 lemons
2 TB white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
sea salt and white pepper
Method
Finely chop the green and red onion and celery. Rinse the garbanzo beans. Trim and cut the green beans into bite-sized pieces. Boil the green (or other color beans) for about 2 minutes, then shock in cold water. Cut the red pepper into small dice. Add all the vegetables to a serving bowl. Finely chop about 1/4 cup of tarragon. Set aside, but keep the stems. Boil the bottle of wine with the stems until it is only 1 cup in volume. Allow to cool. Finely chop shallot and zest lemons. Juice lemons. Pour the wine (remove stems first) over the shallot and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar. Then whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the beans and combine. Add the tarragon. Combine. Serve.
