Spring Chicken Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Hello Spring!  Hello fresh veggies, you lovely green things!  And radishes, I have not forgotten about you, crisp and all full of bite, hello!

I'm sorry, was that a little too chirpy for you?  It's ok, I understand.  You see, spring teased me with sunshine and green grass, but yet it's still only a high of 50 today and I'm a little grouchy that I still have to wear my jacket when leaving work.  But then, you see, I see that picture above and really it just happens again:

Hello Spring!  I am so glad you are back.  Please don't ever leave me again.

This salad (loosely adapted from CL's April issue) is wonderful for spring.  With the purchase of a rotisserie chicken, no ovens get turned on, no stoves are ignited (well, unless you blanch, but then there's also a tub of ice water, so it all evens out, right?).  And those veggies, those wonderfully spring veggies?  Just put whatever you want in there, whatever you have.  If it's pretty and makes you happily burst out in "Hello Springs!", it goes in there.  Chop, dump, whisk, pour, toss, bam.  Dinner.


Spring Chicken Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Adapted from April 2012's Cooking Light

If you know a place to get good rotisserie chicken, make sure you take advantage of it!  Dinner's so easy when all you have to do is shred!  I used half a chicken, shredded the rest and put it in the freezer, ready for another quick meal on some other way too busy day.  And seriously, put whatever vegetables you have laying around or that catch your eye.  I had been craving radishes, that's how they ended up in here!

Salad:
1/2 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1-2 c. green beans, trimmed, blanched
4-5 medium radishes, thinly sliced
2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 handful fresh chives, chopped

Mustard Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Crusty bread, to serve

Assemble salad ingredients in large bowl.  Whisk together vinaigrette.  Pour over salad, toss.  Season with more salt and pepper as needed.  Eat with crusty bread.

Did I mention this was ridiculously easy???