Arugula, kale and Swiss chard may be the cool kids of salad greens, but those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s remember when iceberg lettuce reigned supreme – mostly because that’s all mama served! Iceberg gets kicked to curb these days, but I decided to give it a little love and make a flavorful wedge salad with seasoned chicken breast and a peppery Creole vinaigrette.

 

What I used:

2 slices (or more) thick-cut smoked bacon

1 pound thin sliced skinless chicken breast

Paprika, to taste

Garlic Powder, to taste

Onion Powder, to taste

Lemon Pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 TBSP Creole mustard

1 tsp honey

3/4 cup olive oil

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 tomato, chopped small

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped

 

What I did:

Cut bacon widthwise into small pieces and fry in a skillet on medium fire until brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, leaving about a tablespoon of renderings in skillet.

While bacon is frying, season chicken breast fillets aggressively with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper and salt. Be careful with the salt if your lemon pepper has salt as an ingredient. Fry the chicken fillets in the skillet with the bacon renderings until nicely browned and blackened in spots, but don’t burn them. Remove from pan and set aside.

Combine white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, Creole mustard and honey in a bowl. Whisk together well. Then add olive oil and whisk well until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and smooth. Adjust your seasoning here: you may want to add a bit of honey if you like a sweeter tasting salad dressing. Set aside.

Peel and discard the rough outer leaves of a nice head of iceberg lettuce. Wash and drain on paper towels. Cut away the hard stem. Using a large knife, cut the head of iceberg into four wedges by smoothly cutting the head in half and then each half in half.

Cut your tomato, red onion and green onion to your liking. Cut your pan-fried chicken into thin slices.

Place an iceberg wedge on a serving plate and add onions, tomato, and chicken. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top.

 

Enjoy!