
Jessica Dang is a freelance writer, blogger, and social media…
There’s no tossing involved, so this composition is purely guided by your eye and intuition.
By Jessica Dang
To me, making a salad is like painting. It’s a creation that’s both composed and ad-hoc. There’s layering involved. Balance. Thought. It’s not hastily chopping up a bunch of stuff and dumping it into a bowl with no rhyme or reason.
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Roast Chicken Salad
- Author: Jessica Dang
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
There’s no tossing involved, so this composition is purely guided by your eye and intuition.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of mesclun salad leaves
- 1/2 small kirby cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- A few thin slices of red onion, cut into half-moons
- 1/4 avocado, thinly sliced
- 6 grape tomatoes, cut into small round slices
- Cold leftover roast chicken, torn into shreds
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Citarella’s tartar sauce, or another creamy dressing like ranch or blue cheese
- Fresh dill, chives, tarragon, or chervil
- Maldon sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start with a large white dinner plate. This is your canvas. Prime the canvas with a generous layer of mesclun salad leaves. Make sure the leaves are clean and completely dry.
- For a crunch factor, sprinkle the cucumber matchsticks over the salad.
- Tear the cold roast chicken into shreds by hand and evenly distribute–the quantity will rely on your appetite!
- Separate the rings of the onion slices and lightly scatter to add a nice kick and heat.
- Drape the avocado slices gently around the plate.
- Strategically place the grape tomato slices where a punch of red is needed.
- Add the crumbled feta and small spoonfuls of your creamy dressing, here and there, being mindful of the balance of white splashes to the composition.
- Pick off bits of the fresh herbs and decorate the plate.
- Finish with a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes and a shower of black pepper.
- Cut into your masterpiece, fork-and-knife style, and mix it all up!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main

Jessica Dang is a freelance writer, blogger, and social media consultant based in New York City. She is currently developing Single Girl Dinner, an online community and resource of dinner ideas for young independent women living in the city. She enjoys reading menus, dining at the bar, and experimenting in the kitchen when no one's looking. When it comes to food, she can't resist uni, foie gras, caviar, or Popeyes' fried chicken.