Campground Cooking: The Best Keto Chicken Caprese Salad
I have to be honest, I would much rather eat than cook. But if you know us, you also know we don't miss many meals in the Farley house. And after receiving so many requests to know what and how we cook on the road, I thought I would share a few of my favorite recipes. This Chicken Caprese Salad recipe will end up one of your favorites! Even Phil loves it!
Marinade
This salad is delicious thanks to the amazing marinade that coats the chicken, tomatoes, and asparagus. You can marinate the chicken and veggies the night before or just an hour before cooking. Whatever works best for you and your RV exploration schedule.
If you are marinating just before cooking, allows the chicken to marinate on the counter instead of the refrigerator. It will absorb the marinade quicker at room temperature.
When marinating the chicken overnight, let the chicken come to room temperature before tossing it on the grill. Place the chicken on the counter for about 30-60 minutes, always keeping food safety in mind. Meat cooked at room temperature will cook more evenly, and fewer juices will evaporate out of the meat during the cooking process.
It is now time to take out all your frustrations from the day on your chicken! Although full-time life is so amazing, there shouldn't be anything to pound out! The goal is to have all the chicken breasts at even thickness. If you purged your mallet before hitting the road, don't worry. You can use a can of beans just like I do! Just wrap that bad boy up in cling wrap or put it in a ziplock bag to prevent it from getting chicken juice on it!
After you have pounded your chicken, place it in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, and set it aside. Put all the marinade ingredients into a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until blended. Remove 1-2 tablespoons of the marinade and set it aside. Pour the remaining marinade into the ziplock bag with the chicken. Close the bag and mix well. If marinating overnight, place chicken into the fridge.
Place snapped asparagus into a container and add a tablespoon of the marinade. Add the lid to the container and give the asparagus a good shake. If marinating overnight, put the asparagus in the fridge with the chicken. Repeat the same process with the tomatoes. If your husband doesn't hate tomatoes as much as Phil does, you could place the asparagus and tomatoes into the same container to save on dishes later.
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Grill
I usually begin by grilling the bacon. I prefer to cook bacon outside on the grill because I don't want the smell of bacon grease to permeate the rig for three days or more. Although the recipe only calls for 6 slices of bacon, I usually cook the entire pack and use the extra for breakfast the next morning. When the bacon is cooked to your desired crispness, remove it from the grill and place it on a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra grease.
Marinated Asparagus
Next up on the grill is the asparagus. Grill the asparagus for 2-4 minutes, rolling halfway through the cooking process. Be careful not to overcook your asparagus when they are skinny. I prefer to have a bit of a crunch left in the asparagus. If your grill is large enough, you can add the asparagus to one side and the chicken to the other and cook them simultaneously.
Grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side. Refrain from turning the chicken more than once. I usually add a few extra chicken breasts to the grill for planned leftovers. There is plenty of marinades if you want to toss your planned leftovers in the ziplock bag to marinate with the other chicken. It makes travel days so much easier if lunch is in the fridge and ready to go, especially when your driver gets hungry as soon as you hit the highway!
I forgot to pound my chicken. I guess I didn't have enough frustration today.
Build the Salad
While the chicken and asparagus are cooking on the grill, I usually start preparing the salad. Toss the spinach into a large bowl. Place the mozzarella pearls, avocado, and tomatoes on top of the spinach. You can pile them all together or each one separately for a pretty presentation.
When the asparagus is cooked to your desired tenderness, remove it from the grill and allow it to cool.
After the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes. This will prevent the juices from running out of the chicken when you slice it for the salad. After the asparagus has cooled, place it on a cutting board and cut into bite-size chunks. I usually cut the asparagus into fourths. Add the asparagus to the salad bowl with the other ingredients.
Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and add them to the center of the salad. Use tongs to mix your delicious healthy dinner, plate it, and then grab a fork to dig in! You are going to love it.
This salad goes great with Cento Italian Glaze. It is delicious and goes with almost everything! If it's not at your local grocery store, you can find it on Amazon. Just click here: Cento Italian Glaze. Thank you to Serenella for introducing us to this bottle of yummy goodness!
Chicken Caprese Salad Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb Chicken Breast (Pounded Evenly)
5 oz Spinach
1 pint Cherry Tomato
6 oz Mozzarella Pearls
8 oz Asparagus (Ends Snapped)
2 small Avocados (Chopped)
6 strips Bacon
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)
Marinade
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
Cento Italian Glaze for Dressing of choice
Directions
Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a large measuring cup. Remove 1-2 tablespoons of the marinade and add to the tomatoes and asparagus. Toss evenly to coat. Refrigerate.
Add remaining marinade to a large Ziploc bag along with the chicken. Marinate 30 minutes or overnight.
When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to come to room temperature. While the chicken is marinating, place the bacon on the grill and cook to the desired crispness. Remove the bacon from the grill and set aside.
Add chicken to grill and cook 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from grill and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Grill asparagus for 2 minutes per side or to desired tenderness. Let cool, then cut into thirds or fourths.
Add spinach to a large bowl. Top with asparagus, tomatoes, mozzarella, chicken, bacon, and avocado. Mix salad and serve. Drizzle individual servings with Cento Italian Glaze or balsamic vinegar/dressing if desired.
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Phil & Stacy
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Author: Stacy Farley, You, Me & the RV, All Rights Reserved.
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