ChickenMozzarella Salad suits varied settings
Editor’sNote: RosannaBaumanis filling infor Gloria this week, who is in the midst of moving. Rosanna is German Baptist Brethren, a Plain sect that sharesmany similarities withtheAmish.Rosannawrites fromherhomeinruralKansas.
Summer has hit eastern Kansas with a vengeance, makingourdailyculinarygoal simply avoiding heating up our kitchens with the oven. This ishelped by the fact that just this week, the ovens in both our residence and the employee kitchen have quit working. That only leavesus with two ovens. I know it doesn’t sound like we have anyproblemsat all, butwhen you’re fixing as manymeals for asmany people aswe do, every oven counts. Andwho likescarryinghotbakingpans across the driveway and up the staircase? Thankfully, our grill isworking, and the garden is producing, so we’re eating well and eating cool. When we first have access to spring greens after the winter our family has entire meals of just toss salad. After a month, our appetites for greens are sated, so salad is no longer the star of the mealtime, but a vehicle for delivering cool meals. We hadChickenMozzarellaSalad at least two times last week because it’s so fast and the ranch dressing really has an illusion of cooling. It doesn’t take any time at all to grill the chicken while you’re chopping the lettuce, and speedy suppers are importantwhen we don’t get done with farming until 8:30 p.m. This salad hasbeenpopular inourcommunity for several years. I’ve eateniteverywherefromCalifornia to Ohio.
At our annual church conference, we have three options for our lunch in between church services: concession stand, traditional church meal, or a picnic lunch. I always choose the latter two options because they are free. Picnicking in the grass parking lot is the German Baptist’s version of tailgating, although there’s no grills. Instead, we serve quick sandwiches or allin-one salads like this. I’ve eaten Chicken Mozzarella Salad multiple times off of a paper plate while sitting in the grass in my Sunday clothes. Not only is this salad Sunday-fare, it’s served at much more casual functions as well. We recently served this on a canoe trip for 50 young people because we only needed one ice chest to hold the lettuce and cheese, the restwas canned. Theeasiestway tomix that large of a salad is to throwthe ingredients in a large trash bag, and get a couple of young boys to toss it around. The closest good canoeing streams are inMissouri; our creeks in Kansas are too shallow and muddy for good canoeing most times. When a canoe float happens for the young people, the parentswho are hostingtheactivityarealways the oneswhocarry the lunch supplies. Primarily because dumping the lunch canoe is strictly forbidden.
CHICKENMOZZARELLA SALAD
1headlettuce, shredded, ortheequivalent in spinach orothergreens 2c. mozzarella cheese,
shredded 11/2cans(6oz.) black
olives, whole
1 lb. chickenbreast (or thighs) cooked, chopped (or 10oz. canned chicken) 1/2bagranch-flavored
tortilla chips, crushed 16oz. Ranchsaladdressing
Cookthe chicken until tender. Cool to room temperature. Put chicken into a big bowl and then add greens, cheese, olives, chips, and dressing. Tosswell.