Looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to this recipe. First of all, the picture above? No tahini dressing. It was supposed to have tahini dressing, but when I went to make the dressing, my tahini was mysteriously missing. I'm guessing it was lost during the dying fridge incident last month. I've still posted the original recipe below, because I think the tahini dressing would be excellent on this, but we quickly whipped up a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Furthermore, I totally forgot to add the broken pita chips before I took the picture. We did eat these salads with copious amounts of pita chips. Does anyone else have zero self control around pita chips? I find the crunchy saltiness irresistible!
And finally, looks are deceiving because the salads we actually ate were much larger than this. I took the photograph on a salad sized plate, wanting to snap a picture before winter's darkness settled in. When we actually ate dinner a few hours later, we pulled out the large dinner plates! This was a great main dish salad, with a variety of tastes and textures that married nicely in the tahini (err, balsamic) dressing. I roasted the squash and cooked the chicken a day ahead of time so all we had to do was assemble and eat the following day. This would also be a great salad to bring to lunch--make the chicken and squash at the beginning of the week and pack a few different salads to 'grab and go' each morning!
One Year Ago: Oatmeal Cheesecake Cranberry Bars
Two Years Ago: Rocky Road Fudge
Three Years Ago: Candy Cane Cookies
*all three are perfect last-minute holiday recipes!
Chicken, Squash, and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
slightly adapted from Real Simple February 2012
*serves 4
Ingredients:
-1 medium (2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
-4 tbsp olive oil
-kosher salt & black pepper
-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/3 cup tahini
-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-1 tsp dried oregano
-9 cups romaine
-1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 cup pita chips, broken
-2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
-crumbled goat cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with foil. Toss squash with 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roast on the bottom rack, tossing once, for 25-30 minutes, until tender.
2. On the second baking sheet, place chicken, coated with remaining tablespoon of oil. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper each. Roast on top rack for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, then slice.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, oregano, 1 tbsp oil, 1/3 cup water, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Divide lettuce among plates and top with squash, chicken, chickpeas, pita chips, goat cheese, and chives. Serve with the dressing.
