Honey Garlic Chicken Chopped Salad

I think one of the things that ended up drawing Nate and I together was our mutual love for all things garlic.  I really don’t know if I can get enough of the stuff, and thankfully my husband is the exact same way – and has been since day one.  It’s great because it never matters if someone has garlic breath when we’re canoodling – the reality is that we BOTH do.

 

Winning, right?  Right!

So I am a huge fan of all things sweet and spicy or even sweet and salty – the difference in the two flavors is so nice and just so good – but I’ll be if I’ve never had a sweet and garlicky combination before!  Not where there’s sweet and spicy plus a little garlic to round things out, but a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally garlicky and sweet combo.  Y’all, it is the BEST STUFF.  Think super yummy buttery roasted garlic flavor plus sweet floral honey and the great umami flavor you get from soy sauce.  Add it to a bunch of perfectly cooked veggies and roasted chicken and you’ll find you have the best salad ever.

Also.

 

The sauce?  Plus the broccoli florets where it gets all up in the tops?  Guys, it’s like a water balloon of flavor about to burst in your mouth.  Really.  And I know you guys know what I’m talking about.  In fact you may just want to do all broccoli so you up the number of flavor balloons you have going on up in here!

 

So basically what we have here is a delicious way to get in great lean protein and lots of good veggie nutrition, a sauce that will rearrange your culinary world, and flavor balloons of love.  You’re welcome and happy Wednesday 😉

HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN CHOPPED SALAD

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 head (yes, that’s right) of garlic, the cloves removed, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup apricot jam
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

Melt the butter and olive oil together over medium low heat and add the garlic.  Cook until the garlic starts to brown just slightly and smells sweet and garlicky, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the honey, vegetable stock, and jam and simmer over medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Stir together the soy sauce and cornstarch and add to the warm mixture. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture is thick and rich. Remove from the heat and set aside (you can make this a day ahead of time and store in the fridge; just note that the cornstarch will make it look funny the next day.  Just stir and use as directed).

For the salad:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1-1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and lay the chicken breasts on top.  Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until just cooked all the way through.  Allow to cool while you cook the veggies.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt liberally.  When the water is boiling, add the veggies and boil for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. At 3 minutes, drain the veggies and put them in a large bowl filled with ice water.  Drain a second time.  Chop the chicken and roughly chop the veggies, then stir in the sauce as desired.  Serve hot, room temperature or cold!