It's always summertime somewhere . . . right?
By February 1st, everyone in the northern hemisphere is done with winter. We’re sick of windy blasts assaulting us and tired of eating dinner in the dark. We’re desperate for sun.
Some of us combat the cold with tanning bed sessions and long visits to the sauna. Others try to block out the gloom by throwing parties for every possible occasion. Some give up completely and run away to tropical sunny beaches. No matter the course, our goal is mutual: seek out any trace of summer to combat the eternal winter.
Kale and Freekeh Bowl with Lemon Oregano Chicken was inspired by that same craving for summertime. I wanted to create something that popped with fresh, vibrant flavors and reminded me of sunny grill-outs, while still being hearty enough to sustain me through a long winter afternoon. I wanted to find the taste of summer in my winter pantry.
I started with kale.
Kale is the heartiest of winter greens. Sturdy, tough, and abundantly present in every grocery store and supermarket from fall until late spring, it is easy to find and keeps fresh for days. And since it holds up in a salad for hours without wilting, it is the ultimate green for a packed lunch. I boosted it with freekeh, a cracked wheat with a light smokey flavor, and chicken marinated in lemon, garlic, and oregano and quick-cooked on the stove, similar to how it would be grilled in the summer. I finished with bright juicy grape tomatoes and a sprinkle of tangy, creamy goat cheese. All these ingredients combine to create a satisfying, delicious bowl zinging with vibrant summer freshness.
Like all my lunch recipes, this grain bowl is based on a few components that are easy to batch in advance. Feel free to assemble the entire salad before you leave for work in the morning; combining all the components allows the kale to soften and absorb the flavors of the chicken and the freekeh, while the goat cheese melds into the salad and creates pockets of creaminess. At lunch time, just pop open the container and dig into your summer salad.
Who cares if the calendar says February?
Enjoy!
Kale and Freekeh Bowl with Lemon Oregano Chicken
(Serves 4)
For the marinaded chicken and dressing:
12 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus additional as needed
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders or chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch thick strips
For the freekeh:
½ cup cracked freekeh
1 ¼ cup water
To assemble:
8 cups kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Lemon juice and Diamond Crystal kosher salt, as needed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces goat cheese, lightly crumbled
Method
For the marinade and dressing:
To make the marinade, combine two tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoons oregano in a small bowl. Stir to combine (and dissolve the salt), then let sit for 5 minutes so the garlic can infuse into the lemon juice. Whisk in the 6 tablespoons of oil slowly, to emulsify. Pour the marinade into a plastic bag and add chicken. Seal bag tightly and place in refrigerator to marinade for 1 ½ - 2 hours.
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat a pan over medium heat. Add final tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Remove chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Cook chicken 5 minutes, until browned, then flip and cook 5 minutes on the other side, or until cooked through.
To make the dressing, combine remaining lemon juice, garlic, salt, and oregano as in the previous step. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil slowly to emulsify. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, if needed.
For the freekeh:
To cook the freekeh, bring 1 ¼ cup water to into a small heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Bring water to a boil, then stir in a three-finger pinch of salt and the freekeh. Bring the water back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the freekeh is tender. The water should be absorbed, but if not, steam off the rest under a low flame. Pour freekeh into the large bowl and toss with the half of the dressing.
To assemble:*
Toss kale with a generous squeeze of lemon and a two-finger pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon) in a large bowl and lightly massage with your fingertips until the kale is slightly limp. Add freekeh, tomatoes, and goat cheese, and toss. Arrange the chicken on top and drizzle with left-over dressing as needed.
*Because kale is so hearty, this salad will keep for 3-4 hours after being assembled, so it’s ideal for an office lunch. Just pull it out of the refrigerator at lunch and dig in—no assembly required!
Originally posted February 2, 2020.
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