Repeat after me: A is for artichoke hearts, B is for beets and C is for chèvre. (And chicken.) Put together, you get this ABC salad. I threw this salad together one day on a whim, and now it’s one of my favorite weekday lunches.
I knew that beets and chèvre, or goat’s cheese, were a match made in heaven, but the artichoke hearts added a whole new dimension to the salad and elevated it in a way I wasn’t expecting. If you have access to a Trader Joe’s, I highly recommend using their marinated grilled artichoke hearts and cut beets in vinaigrette. They’re especially flavorful, and you can use the oil and vinaigrette to make a super easy dressing.
As long as you store the other ingredients separately from the spinach, this salad keeps really well, and makes a perfect depressing desk lunch. (Kidding! Sort of… let’s be real, most of us eat at our desks more than we would care to admit.) I hate boring salads, so this gives me something to look forward to, and helps me feel like I’m actually eating healthy.
Want more not-boring salads? Check out my Butternut Squash Salad, my Antipasto Salad and my Bacon Brussels Salad. Never eat a sad salad again!
ABC Salad
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound total
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
For the salad
- 12-ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts in oil, roughly chopped and oil reserved
- 16-ounce jar of beets in vinaigrette, cut into bite-sized pieces, vinaigrette reserved
- 5 ounces herbed chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled
- 12-ounce bag of baby spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake until cooked through, 20-25 minutes, depending on breast thickness. (You can also tenderize meat before seasoning.)
- Allow chicken to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss chicken and all salad ingredients except spinach in a large bowl.
- For dressing, combine 2 parts vinaigrette with 1 part oil from the artichokes. I use about half a cup total.
- Serve chicken mixture over spinach. Store spinach separately until ready to serve.