SALADS

Everything But the Wedge Chicken and Green Bean Salad Jars with Blue Cheese Dressing

Everything But the Wedge Chicken and Green Bean Salad Jars with Blue Cheese Dressing

Everything But the Wedge Chicken and Green Bean Salad Jars with Blue Cheese Dressing

Servings

2

servings

In case you haven’t noticed, I adore salad jars! They are such a great way to prep salad ahead of time while keeping ingredients fresh and crisp. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make them:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
– Mason jars (quart-size works best for leafy salads, and pint size works best for grain salads)
– Salad dressing
– Uniformly cut ingredients

LAYERING ORDER FOR A PERFECT SALAD JAR:
– Dressing Start with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing at the bottom.
– Hard Vegetables or Beans (to act as a barrier between the dressing and the softer ingredients) Carrots, fennel, celery or beans are my favorites
– Softer Veggies such as cucumbers, tomatoes etc. 
– Grains & Proteins such as quinoa, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs.
– Cheese & Nuts such as Feta, shredded cheese, almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds.
– Leafy Greens  such as Spinach, arugula, romaine, or kale (keep them on top to stay crisp).

ADDITIONAL TIPS:
– Leave a little room at the top for shaking.
– Store upright in the fridge for up to 5 days.
– Shake right before eating then pour into a bowl.

While choosing a favorite salad is like choosing a favorite child, these Everything But the Wedge Chicken and Green Bean Salad Jars with Blue Cheese Dressing are definitely in my top ten! Follow the recipe below, or riff on it yourself using the above guide and I am certain you will be as obsessed with salad jars as I am!

Ingredients: Makes 2 (16 oz.) jars

  • 2 tbsp (17 g) kosher salt

  • 6 oz (167 g) green beans, trimmed

  • 1 cup (150 g) halved cherry tomatoes

  • 8 oz (225 g) grilled chicken, cold, diced 

  • 2 small radishes, diced 

  • 4 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled 

  • Blue Cheese Dressing (makes approx 1 cup [237 ml])

  • 2 oz (58 g) crumbled blue cheese 

  • 4 oz (120 ml) buttermilk

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

  • 4 oz (112 g) mayonnaise

  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 clove garlic, peeled

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  • Start by making the Blue Cheese Dressing. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the blue cheese and buttermilk, using a fork to break up the chunks of cheese. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl, and whisk to combine. Using a Microplane grater, grate the garlic clove into the dressing. Season the dressing to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • In a large pot, bring 3 quarts (2.8 L) of water and 2 tablespoons (17 g) of kosher salt to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice, then add enough water so the bowl is two-thirds full. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 60 seconds. Using a spider strainer or something similar (a regular strainer will work, just not as well), remove the green beans from the boiling water and plunge into the ice bath. 
  • Remove the green beans from the ice water and place on a large plate lined with paper towels. Lightly dab the green beans dry (they don’t need to be bone dry; we just don’t want tons of moisture clinging to them), then cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces.
  • Pour 3 tbsp (45 ml) of dressing into the bottom of each jar, then divide the ingredients between the two jars, layering in the following order: green beans, cherry tomatoes, diced grilled chicken, radishes, and bacon. Place the lids on the jars and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake right before serving.