30 days, 30 dinners - Meal #4 Bread Salad

One of my favorite salads in Oklahoma City is Cheever's Beef and Bread Salad. It is the perfect mix of meat, dressing, cheese and vegi goodness!

While I was craving it this week, I decided to make my own twist on it - Chicken and Bread salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Since it has been one of the busiest weeks since the holidays, time is of the essence. This glorious meal took around 30 minutes to make.

First things first - the bread.
Cut or tear any bread into the bite sizes of your choice. We used leftover french bread. Toss the bread with olive oil, enough to coat but not saturate, salt and the toppings of your choice. Note: This is also how you make homemade croutons, a healthier, cheaper version of the store-bought kind.

We used the following for ours...
1/2 loaf of french bread cut into cubes
3 TBS olive oil
2 tsp salt
3 TBS Parmesan
1/4 tsp of dried thyme
a few cracks of pepper
Place the bread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden, but still slightly soft (10 minutes for our oven) Note: when making croutons, bake until crispy and store in an airtight container.

Salad:
We cubed rotisserie chicken leftover from another dinner
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh Spinach
Cucumbers
Goat Cheese


Dressing:
I like to keep Mason jars on hand for mixing dressings.
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
3/4 c olive oil
Secure the lid on the jar. Shake, shake, shake until mixed.

Toss all of the ingredients together, pour the desired dressing on it and enjoy!