Grilled Chicken Salad with Pears

A mixture of lemon juice, basil, & tarragon is used as the marinade & dressing for grilled chicken breasts, served on greens with pears, berries & nuts.

Ingredients:

• Lemon-Herb dressing:
• 1 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon EACH salt and freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
• .............
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup Lemon-Herb Dressing (from above)
• 6 cups assorted salad greens, washed, dried and torn in bite-size piece
• 6 fresh pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb. strawberries, washed and sliced
• 2 cups toasted pecans
• 2 tablespoons cilantro

Directions:

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid. Cover tightly and shake to dissolve sugar. Remove 1 cup dressing to use with chicken as a marinade and glaze. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Use HALF of the dressing (1/2 cup) and pour onto chicken; marinate 20 minutes, 10 minutes on each side. Heat grill to medium-high. Spray grill lightly with a vegetable spray. Remove chicken from dish. Grill 8-10 minutes on each side until done, using remaining 1/2 cup of the dressing to baste chicken while grilling. Remove from grill. Arrange salad on 6 dinner plates as follows; Greens, pears, strawberries, and pecans. Pour dressing over salad. Place a chicken breast on each plate in the middle of salad. Sprinkle cilantro on chicken.

Number of Servings: 6

Notes from the Cook: After placing the greens on the plates I like to arrange the other ingredients in a circle, with the chicken breast in the center.