Strawberry Sald with Goat Cheese Croutons and Strawberry Black Pepper and Poppyseed Vinaigrette
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A fresh strawberry salad with a black pepper strawberry vinaigrette that is topped with crunchy, gooey goat cheese croutons.
Author:
Recipe type: Salads
Serves: 2 salads
Ingredients
  • 1 small log of goat cheese
  • 1 ½ c strawberries, sliced and divided
  • 2 t – 1 T sugar (use less if you have juicy in season strawberries and more if you have grocery store strawberries)
  • 1 t Black pepper
  • 2 T White wine vinegar
  • 6 T Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • 1 t Poppy seeds
  • Loose leaf lettuce, approx. 2 cups per salad
  • 1 8 oz (give or take) chicken breast, cooked and chopped
  • Red onion, approx. ⅓ c thinly sliced
  • Cucumber, approx. ⅓ c chopped
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • ¼ to ⅓ c flour
  • 1 egg
  • 2 T milk
  • 1 c panko breadcrumbs
  • Oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Slice goat cheese into 12 slices and pat the slices out until they form neat circles, pushing together any crumbly bits. Place goat cheese on a waxed paper lined baking sheet and freeze.
  2. Place approximately a half cup of strawberries, sugar and add a few grinds of black pepper. Stir together and set aside. Allow to macerate while you cook the chicken and prep the veggies – 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Cook the chicken – season with salt and pepper or your favorite herb mix. Chop into bite sized pieces. Prep your veggies and lettuce.
  4. Blend the strawberries and accumulated juices along with the white wine vinegar, salt and pepper until the strawberries become a puree. Continue blending while you stream in the olive oil. Taste and season with additional salt or pepper as needed. Stir in poppyseeds.
  5. Prepare a breading station using three dishes. Add flour to the first dish. Whisk milk and egg together in the second. To the third dish add panko and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Remove goat cheese from the freezer and coat in the flour. Keep the pan to place the breaded goat cheese back on.
  7. Tap off excess flour and drip goat cheese into egg mixture.
  8. Coat in panko and return to sheet pan.
  9. In a pan big enough to hold all the goal cheese add a layer of oil to the bottom.. Heat over medium heat until a panko crumb sizzles, about 350 degrees if you have an infrared thermometer to measure.
  10. Add the goat cheese and fry, flipping once until both sides are golden. This will take about 45-90 seconds per side depending on how hot your oil is.
  11. Remove to paper towels to drain.
  12. Build the salad by first tossing the lettuce with dressing. Top with chicken, cucumber, onion, avocado and strawberries and finally goat cheese. Drizzle on more dressing as desired.
Recipe by Gravel & Dine at https://gravelanddine.com/strawberry-sald-with-goat-cheese-croutons-and-strawberry-black-pepper-and-poppyseed-vinaigrette/