Grilled Nectarine Salad with Chicken, Mozzarella, and Mint
by Grilled Nectarine Salad with Chicken, Mozzarella, and Mint ! Juicy and sweet paleo nectarine salad. Perfect hot summer day Paleo salad recipe.
Did I mention to you that I did not learn how to cook until the summer of 2001?
I remembered the sheer terror of having to prepare meals for the first time when I moved to the U.S. I was absolutely appalled by the sheer number of bottles and seasonings available in the store that I had no clue how to choose from among them. Worst still, the labels were written in English and measured in pounds and ounces instead of kilograms or grams !!
I was terrified that I would poison myself by under-cooking poultry, and ended up having to call my mom in Taiwan at half-past-midnight her time, to literally “talk” me through the process.
Have you had similar experience to mine?
The interesting thing is that, thanks to my family back home, I’d been eating pretty well since I was very little and never had the need to learn how to cook. From juicy shrimp dumplings to roast crispy duck, rotisserie chicken, and spicy tender beef stir fry………you name it. Everything handmade from scratch and all I had to do was set the table and open my mouth and enjoy!
Spoiled? Hell yes. Regret that I didn’t learn a few chops from my grandma? Oh, yes, very.
Since there was no way I could turn back time, my solution to rescue my cooking skill was to turn to the popular TV empire – Food Network – to see if I could learn some quick tricks from them.
You might ask – what does this have to do with this salad?
I can tell you that never in-a-million-years would I dream of combining fruits with savory ingredients. For some reason, that’s a big no-no in my family. But the beauty of America is that we are one big melting pot and everyone is a pioneer and willing to try out different things, right?
I called this salad my mini United Nation in a bowl – 🙂
- creamy mozzarella (Italy/europe)
- spicy chili pepper sauce with lime (Thai/Asia)
p.s. I was going to use Sriracha but it’s a bit too salty to my taste and has sugar. I was happy to find an alternative called A&B American style pepper sauce at wholefoods. See more info below.
- sweet summer grilled nectarines (America)
- savory grilled chicken (universal).
Did I miss any continents?
This salad has all the winning characters – sweet, savory, sour, and spicy. It’s so good that I’m confident I can put it in front of my family when I see them next in Asia.
Do you have any family recipes that you upgraded by your own invention?
Please share your favorite with us and I’d love to try out your recipes!
Grilled Nectarine Salad with Chicken, Mozzerella, and Mint
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, skinless (cut into smaller chunks)
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dry dill weed
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 ripe nectarines, sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or oil of your choice
- 1 small ball fresh mozzarella, torn to pieces
- fresh mint leaves, as many as you like
Dressing:
- 2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp chilli pepper sauce, no sugar added
- 1 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt, freshly ground black pepper, dill weed, 1 ½ tbsplime juice, and grill until cooked through.
- Heat up a grill pan over medium high heat with olive oil and roast the nectarines until golden brown (around 2 to 3 minutes each side).
- Toss chicken, nectarines, mozzarella, and mint leaves. Pour the dressing over and give it gentle toss.
- Serve and Enjoy!
