Chicken & Cherry Chopped Kale Salad

Since we’ve been so busy lately moving between houses, a self-imposed easiest dinners ever diet of hot dogs, burgers and brats seemed like a good idea for a few weeks.

But because our old house just hit the market finally, the amount of stuff that we can move has started to dwindle, as we need to leave the old house “staged” for prospective buyers.

So instead of spending every evening packing boxes and moving until we fall into bed exhausted, we’re starting to get some free time back again. And with that, comes the ability to make a dinner that isn’t served on a paper plate and devoured as quickly as possible between trips between houses.

After weeks of grilled meats sandwiched between buns, I was craving a big fresh salad. I started with a base of kale blend mixed greens and tossed it with a homemade pesto ranch dressing. One taste of this dressing and you’ll be hooked, I guarantee it, but you could use citrus salad dressing instead, if you prefer.

But not only is pesto ranch perfect for salads like this, but it’s awesome spread on a sandwich or used as a dip, too! I loaded up my salad bowl with lots of fresh, vibrant toppings like avocado, small balls of mozzarella cheese, fresh cherries, sliced red onion, cooked farro, grilled chicken and pine nuts.

This Chicken & Cherry Chopped Kale Salad was everything I was looking for in a summer dinner, and then some!

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Chicken & Cherry Chopped Kale Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Pesto Ranch Dressing:

• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared basil pesto
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

For the Chicken & Cherry Chopped Kale Salad:

• 1 package (5 ounces) kale salad blend
• 2 small grilled chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 6 ounces pearl mozzarella cheese (or 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, diced)
• 1 cup cooked farro
• 1 cup pitted and halved cherries
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Instructions

1. Make the Pesto Ranch Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, yogurt, mayonnaise, pesto, parsley, dill, garlic, Worcestershire and paprika.
2. Toss Kale Italia with half of dressing. Divide greens between 4 plates or bowls; top with chicken, avocado, cheese, farro, cherries, pine nuts and onion. Serve with remaining dressing.

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