30 Delicious, Dinner-In-A-Bowl Salads
CHICKEN SALADS
The key to making this go-to entrée-salad protein sing: dressing it up with grains, fruit and roasted veg.
Chicken Salad with Peanut Butter and Curry Dressing
Warm Chicken and Farro Caprese Salad
Rotisserie Chicken Winter Cobb Salad with Crispy Chicken Skin
Winter Waldorf Salad
Colourburst Citrus Chicken Salad
Chicken, Pear and Roasted Parsnip Salad
4 ways to cook chicken breasts
For each method, use 4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 200 g each). A chicken breast is cooked through when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reaches 165F. For an easy, no-cook method, substitute store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Pan-frying
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp oil and then chicken breasts. Cook until bottom of chicken is golden-brown, about 3 min. Reduce heat to medium-low. Flip chicken. Cook, covered with a lid, until bottom of chicken is golden-brown and cooked through, about 7 min.
Poaching
Boil 4 cups salted water or chicken broth in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken breasts. Gently poach, flipping halfway, until cooked through, 8 to 10 min.
Roasting
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp oil and then chicken breasts. Cook until just golden-brown, about 2 min per side. Transfer pan to a 450F oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 min. (If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, transfer chicken to a baking sheet.)
Grilling
Preheat barbecue to medium. Brush chicken with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Oil grill. Barbecue chicken until grill-marked and cooked through, 5 to 6 min per side.
VEGETARIAN SALADS
Meat makes way for mushrooms, jammy eggs and grilled cheese.
Mushroom Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese
Fresh Mozzarella and Clementine Panzanella
Seared Halloumi and Fig Tabbouleh
Creamy Bean and Sweet Potato Salad with Soft-Boiled Egg
Greek Potato Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
Roasted Beet and Egg Salad with Rye Croutons
Red Cabbage Steaks with Bulgur Salad
How to boil eggs
The perfect boiled egg has never been simpler. What’s involved? An easy three-step process: boil, drain and rinse.
To start, carefully lower eggs into a pot of boiling water and set your timer. After the desired time, drain, and then rinse eggs in cold water (they’ll continue to cook otherwise, resulting in an overcooked yolk).
Soft-boiled eggs: 6 min
Hard-boiled eggs: 12 min
Egg-peeling tip: Fresh eggs are more difficult to peel. As eggs age, the shell starts to detach from the membrane, resulting in boiled eggs that are easier to slip from their shells.
VEGAN SALADS
Pulses, tofu and spicy cold noodles give these plant-based mains the perfect balance of crisp, cooked and carb-y.
Roasted Chickpea Salad with Hot Harissa Dressing
Roasted Squash Salad with Marinated Bean Dressing
Sesame-Ginger Tofu Soba Noodle Salad
Wheat Berry, Kale and Cranberry Salad
BEEF & PORK SALADS
Warm dressings and hearty ingredients steer these fully-loaded salads into comfort-food territory.
Steak and Potato Salad with Horseradish Dressing
Steak and Arugula Salad with Warm Tomato Dressing
Roasted Cabbage with Pork Larb Salad
Black Kale, Bacon and Roasted Tomato Panzanella
Winter Steak and Mushroom Salad
Fig Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
A guide to vinegar
Vinegar brightens any salad—but not all vinegars work the same way. Here's what you should know about three classics.
Balsamic vinegar: Authentic balsamic vinegar has a protected designation of origin seal on its label, a guarantee that the vinegar is made in the traditional way in the Italian regions of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Specific grape varietals are crushed, cooked down until caramelized and aged in a series of barrels for a minimum of 12 years—sometimes up to 50. Over time, each barrel imparts its own flavour to the vinegar, which continues to thicken until it has a sweet, mellow flavour and a syrupy consistency. Some of the oldest vintages can even be poured on ice cream.
Authentic balsamic vinegars can be pricey, but the grocery store stuff is fine for your daily salad needs—it’s made by boiling down a combination of wine vinegar and grape must (pressed juice from grapes and stems). White balsamic is milder and less sweet than classic balsamic. It’s mostly made the same way, but is cooked at a lower temperature to maintain its golden hue. White balsamic is ideal if you want a dressing that’s lighter in colour, but substituting one for the other is generally fine.
Sherry vinegar: Authentic sherry vinegar, made in southwestern Spain, also carries a protected designation: It’s made by naturally fermenting sherry wine, which is then aged in oak barrels for at least six months to give it a slight oaky flavour. Grocery store versions exist, though they’re not as readily available as balsamic. It won’t replicate the flavour, but red or white wine vinegar can be substituted in a pinch.
Wine vinegar: White and red wine vinegars are both made from wine. And just like drinking wines, red wine vinegar is often more robust, with a bolder flavour than its white counterpart. White wine vinegar has a slightly brighter, more delicate flavour. Wine vinegars are interchangeable in a pinch, as they have similar acidity levels.
SEAFOOD SALADS
Pair the fruits of the sea with actual fruit—and herbs and lentils and mountains of parm.
Seared Salmon with Lentil Salad
Hot-Smoked Salmon Niçoise Salad
Shrimp and Green Bean Salad
Smoked Trout Salad with Horseradish
Photography by Erik Putz and Christie Vuong; Food styling by Ashley Denton; Prop styling by Madeleine Johari)
Shrimp and Orange Salad with Roasted Broccolini
Photography by Erik Putz and Christie Vuong; Food styling by Ashley Denton; Prop styling by Madeleine Johari)
Modern Tuna Cobb Salad
Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons
