Avocado and Sun Dried Tomato Salad with Chicken

This recipe comes from the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook (pg 79). Tieghan Gerard also has a version of this recipe with chickpeas on her website as well. Between the sun dried tomatoes and avocado, it has a lot of oil, but it makes for a more filling salad. Lemon juice on the avocado should help reduce browning when stored in the fridge. The first time I made this, I skipped the bacon prep and used store-bought bacon bits. If you don’t want to spend money on pine nuts, sunflower seeds could also work.

Summary

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 20 minutes.
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 2 avocados
• 1-2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup reserved sun-dried tomato oil
• 1/2 lemon lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the fresh spinach: 6 cups, avocados: 2(sliced), shredded cooked chicken: 1-2 cups, sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil: 1/2 cup(drained and oil reserved), crumbled feta cheese: 4 ounces, toasted pine nuts: 1/3 cup, and fresh dill: 2 tbsp(roughly chopped). Set aside.
2. To make the bacon, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the thick-cut bacon: 4 slices(chopped), garlic: 2 cloves(smashed), and fresh rosemary: 1 sprig and cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp, its fat is rendered, and the rosemary is fried, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Remove and discard the garlic and rosemary, draining off all but 1 tbsp of the bacon fat.
4. Add the reserved sun-dried tomato oil: 1/4 cup, lemon juice: 1/2 lemon, apple cider vinegar: 1 tbsp, honey: 1 tbsp, Dijon mustard: 1 tsp, and crushed red pepper flakes: 1 pinch, kosher salt: 1 pinch, and freshly ground pepper: 1 pinch and stir to combine until warmed through, about 1 minute.
5. Drizzle the warm vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.