Chicken Fattoush Salad

The Lebanese salad known as fattoush is traditionally vegetarian, but add some grilled chicken, and you’ve got a fine one-dish meal. A lemony dressing and a sprinkling of sumac, a tart powder made of ground sumac berries, gives this colorful salad a refreshing zing. Look for sumac in Middle Eastern grocery stores or gourmet food shops.

Ingredients

  • 3 pita breads (with pockets)
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
  • 6 large romaine leaves, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 Persian cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, halved and sliced
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 (8-ounce) package Applegate Naturals® Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground sumac
  • 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped into ½-inch pieces

Instructions

Pita Bread:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Split the pita breads horizontally to make 6 rounds, then cut the rounds into 1-inch pieces.
  3. Arrange pita pieces on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  4. Toss the pita pieces gently with your hands.
  5. Put in the oven and bake until golden brown and toasted, 10–12 minutes, giving the baking sheet a shake halfway through to stir the pieces around.
  6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Dressing:

  1. Combine the remaining ½ cup olive oil with the garlic and lemon juice in a jar.
  2. Season with salt and pepper, then seal tightly and shake well to combine.

Salad:

  1. Put the chopped romaine, cucumbers, radishes, onions, chicken, parsley, mint, and sumac in a large salad bowl.
  2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
  3. Refrigerate the salad, covered, for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours, to allow the flavors to develop.
  4. Before serving, add the tomatoes and the reserved toasted pita pieces to the salad and toss to combine.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.