July 9, 2020

Chopped Fried Chicken and Peach Salad

What could be better on a hot summer night than this delicious Chopped Fried Chicken and Peach Salad? Filled with succulent chunks of crispy fried chicken, sweet and juicy peaches and blueberries, crisp pecans, and creamy goat cheese, this salad is topped with a sweet blueberry vinaigrette. And, best of all, every ingredient is chopped into bite sized pieces, so eating this meal will be easy for your family; all they will have to do is chew!

Equipment Needed for this Recipe

A food processor- You will need this to emulsify your dressing. Or, you could put the ingredients into a jar and shake them. Or, you could whisk the ingredients in a bowl. But, I’m impatient, so I like to use my food processor.
A cast iron skillet- You will need this to fry your chicken. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any large skillet will do.
A deep frying thermometer- I think it’s really helpful to use one of these for frying. It lets me know when my oil is at the perfect temperature to fry my food. If you don’t have one, try frying a tiny morsel of chicken. When it sizzles immediately after you put it in the oil, the oil is ready.

The Ingredients

The Chicken- I used breasts, but if your family prefers thighs, by all means, use them.
The Goat Cheese- Feel free to try one of the many flavored goat cheeses available. For this recipe I actually used a fig and olive goat cheese. After I made the salad, I froze the rest of the goat cheese. That way, I will have it ready for the next time I need it.
The Peaches- I used White Peaches for my salad, since they looked fresher than the other peaches on that day.

How I Made the Salad

Since my picky eater prefers cold chicken, I fried the chicken first, and then let it chill up while I made the rest of the dinner. I was originally going to grill the chicken, but when I polled my family, the option of frying the chicken generated great excitement. The fried chicken also reheated very nicely the next day, in my hated air fryer. Nevertheless, I still detest that air fryer.
Next, I made the vinaigrette, and let it sit in the food processor, for a final whirring, right before serving.
Finally, I washed and chopped the lettuce, pecans, and goat cheese.
The last thing I did was chop the peaches, so that they wouldn’t start to brown.
I served this recipe with my Corn Popovers with Blueberry Honey Butter https://aperfectfeast.com/corn-popovers-with-blueberry-honey-butter/

This salad was a big hit with my family, and I was so excited that it was something the whole family would eat. But, I made the popovers about an hour before the salad, because I needed time to get their beauty shot before they deflated. And, I guess the kids were hungry, because they ate all the popovers, before the rest of dinner was ready, and were then of course too full to eat much more than a few bites of chicken. I still consider the whole dinner a success, though!

Chopped Fried Chicken and Peach Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

A delicious salad filled with crispy fried chicken, blueberries, peaches, pecans, and goat cheese, all tossed with a blueberry balsamic dressing.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings

Equipment

Food processor
deep frying thermometer
Cast Iron or other heavy skillet

Ingredients

For the Chopped Fried Chicken and Peach Salad:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 head Boston lettuce, chopped
1 cup blueberries
2 peaches, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
4 ounces goat cheese, chopped

For the Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅛ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. honey
½ cup blueberries

Instructions

For the Chopped Fried Chicken and Peach Salad:

Cut each breast vertically into long strips, about a half inch thick. Season the strips with salt and pepper.
Prepare 3 bowls for dipping the chicken. Divide the flour and spices between 2 bowls and place the buttermilk in a third bowl.
Heat a cast iron skillet filled with one inch of oil to 350°. Dip each strip in the flour, then the buttermilk, and then into the second bowl of flour. Fry each piece until golden brown on both sides. Drain the chicken on a wire rack. Then, chop each strip into bite sized pieces.
In a large salad bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together, and then toss with the amount of dressing your family likes, and serve.