Kale Salad with Chicken, Croutons and Soft Boiled Eggs is packed with protein (24 grams if anyone's counting), light enough for lunch with only 360 calories and filling enough for dinner. And full of so much flavor you'll want it for both!
I've got a whole list of new recipes that I wanted to share with you last week, but life was completely distracting. Not the least of my challenges was that I started my week of by dropping a wok full of panang curry I'm testing for Cook Smarts on the living room floor.
Curry on the floor = major mess
My brain has also been spinning with so thoughts about food photography. If you follow Frank and I on Instagram, you may have seen that I spent a few days last week in Minneapolis at a Food Photography Workshop hosted by the super talented Lindsay of Pinch of Yum.
Not only is Lindsay a gifted food photographer (and a wonderfully kind and generous person) but she is an awesome teacher. I learned so much, and it's got my head spinning about all things food and photos. I've barely put my camera down since.
But while I tinker and fiddle and take 324234 shots of a wok of curry (before it hits the floor, of course), I can't keep this salad to myself for a second more.
It's the salad I have been wanting every day for lunch.
And still could eat again for dinner.
And even though it looks like there is a lot going on in these fresh, filling bowls, they're actually so easy to make.
Part of the secret to this salad's simplicity and BIG flavor is a dressing that does double duty - half as a marinade for chicken and half as a dressing for kale. Even 30 minutes in this magical marinade loads the chicken up with tons of flavor.
The bowls get crunch from baked croutons.
And while you can totally use store-bought croutons in these salads or make them with any kind of bread....if you really want your mind blown, make them with challah.
The eggs and tiny bit of sugar in challah make the most crazy amazing, rich, buttery croutons.
Top those bowls with an egg. Hard or soft boiled will work. (But I've got a post on making the perfect soft-boiled egg coming soon, so stay tuned if that's your jam!)
And dig in.
Or come on over for lunch. I'll probably be having this again tomorrow.
Just promise me you'll ignore any evidence of curry on my floor.
More Healthy-ish Salad Recipes
- Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
- Sesame Ginger Kale Salad
- Thai Chopped Chicken Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Global Knife
- Cutting Board
- Shallow Baking Dish for marinating
- Half Sheet Pan
- All Clad Saucepan
- Calphalon Nonstick Frying Pan
- Slotted Spoon
Kale Salad with Chicken, Croutons and Soft Boiled Eggs
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Shallow Dish for Marinating
- Half Sheet Pan
- Saucepan
- Large Skillet
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
Marinade and Dressing:
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 2 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Honey
Salad:
- ¾ lb Chicken, cubed
- 3 thick slices Challah Bread (or use any thick-sliced bread, or 1 small baguette)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 4 Eggs
- 1 large bunch Curly-Leaf Kale, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Chop garlic cloves and combine with cooking oil, vinegar, mustard and honey. Divide in half. Cube chicken and toss with one half of dressing. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). (Reserve the other half of the dressing.)
- Heat the oven to 350 F / 175 C degrees. Slice bread into 1-inch cubes. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet and bake, turning with a spatula halfway through cooking, until crisp and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and reduce water to a low simmer. Simmer until eggs are cooked to your liking. (That is exactly 7 minutes if you like the whites set and yolks runny as in the photos, or 10 minutes if you prefer a hard-boiled egg.) When eggs are finished cooking, run them under cool tap water to stop the cooking process.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken from marinade and transfer it to the hot pan. Discard marinade. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper in the pan. Saute until chicken is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Finely chop kale.
- Toss kale with reserved dressing and cheese. Slice eggs in half.
- Assemble salads by topping kale with chicken, croutons and eggs. Season eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Molly and Clara have recently become my best little kitchen assistants lately. (If you count standing over my shot and naming all the vegetables "assistance.")
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Norma O.Riess
Actually challah bread is made with egg and honey, which also makes for a wonderful bread stuffing. Please check out the site "Once Upon a Chef" for the recipe. I have made it without the wild mushrooms because my daughters don't like mushrooms and it is great. Next Thanksgiving I plan to make one with mushrooms, and one without. She uses fresh oyster, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms. You'll never go back to using plain white bread for bread stuffing again, after trying this recipe with challah bread.
Jess
Yum - that stuffing sounds amazing. Thanks for the tip, Norma!
Joy
This recipe looks great, but I had to comment because I just love the picture of your adorable kitchen "assistants" I'd say naming the vegetables is great help!
Anchell Workshops
Yummy! Thanks for this recipe!
Lorrie Roa
I love egg salad (and potato salad!) and your recipe sounds great (not to mention it looks STUNNING). I’ve pinned it, and I'll be looking for an opportunity to try it out!