Spring Trifle Salad with Chicken and Israeli Couscous
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts roasted and shredded
- 3-4 cups fresh spinach stems removed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 5 oz dry Israeli couscous about 6 cups cooked
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 Bartlet pears diced
- Candied walnuts we used the Salad Topper blend from Costco
- Gorgonzola or feta cheese optional
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp stone ground Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Place all ingredients for vinaigrette in blender or Cuisinart and blend well. Set aside.
- If chicken breasts are already cooked, skip this step. If you have raw chicken, place the breasts on a cookie sheet lined parchment. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Cook in a preheated 350 oven for 20-25 minutes ensuring not to overcook so they don’t dry out. Using two forks, shred and set aside. Note, if you have a kitchenaid, you can also add the cooked chicken breasts to the mixing bowl and shred on low using the whisk attachment.
- Heat chicken broth on high in medium saucepan. Once boiling, add couscous and turn heat to low. Cover saucepan and cook until liquid is absorbed.
- Assemble all ingredients to prepare trifle. First, layer spinach on bottom (about 3/4 cups). Top with 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous. Note that warm couscous will slightly soften the spinach. Top with cooked chicken (about 1 cooked breast). Layer 1/4 of diced pears. Layer 1/4 cup dried cranberries. Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp vinaigrette. Repeat layers 4 times total.
- Top layered trifle with candied nuts or salad topper mixture (about 1/2 cup). Optional to add Gorgonzola or feta cheese crumbles.
Notes
Serves 8-10 as side dish or 4-6 as main dish
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