Chicken Club Panzanella | Rachael Ray

Food & Fun - By Rachael Ray on

Rach shares another one of her statement salads, which she describes as "a salad that looks and smells so good, when you tell your family it's salad night, they're not going to make a fish face, they're going to smile!" Here, Rach puts an American twist on panzanella, an Italian stale bread and tomato salad. "We're going to mash it up with the idea of a club sandwich," she says. "Instead of turkey (who has time for that when it's getting warm outside?), we're using rotisserie chicken." Toss that with lots of bacon, lettuce, toasted bread, tomatoes and a delicious white balsamic and Dijon dressing, and there won't be a fish face in sight! 

Pro Tip from Rach: The easiest way to make the Parm cheese curls is to use a vegetable peeler. 

For more statement salads from Rach, check out her Ultimate Chef's Salad and Steak Salad with Blue-Basil Vinaigrette. 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound meaty bacon
  • 6 cups torn rustic white bread (large bite-sized pieces)
  • 1 warm rotisserie chicken
  • About ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup EVOO
  • 1 teaspoon EACH granulated garlic and onion, fennel pollen or ground fennel, dried thyme and dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 vine tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 4 gem romaine or a large head of romaine, chopped
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • A large handful of basil leaves, torn
  • A large handful of flat parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 ounces or so (2 cups) curls of Parm cheese (see Tip)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Bake bacon on slotted pan or wire rack-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet until very crisp. Lower heat to 350°F. Arrange bread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast until deep golden. Chop bacon into 1-inch pieces.

Remove meat from a warm rotisserie chicken and carve or pull into bite-sized pieces.    

Whisk up dressing.

Add tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, onions, bread, herbs and chicken to large salad bowl and top with dressing. Combine, season with salt and pepper and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the tomatoes soften the bread. Top with curls of Parm cheese.