Chef's Salad with Spinach, Chicken, and Gouda

Name: Chef's Salad with Spinach, Chicken, and Gouda
Yield: Serves 6 to 8, as a light main dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large clove, garlic, minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (about 1 ¼ teaspoons); 1/8 teaspoon, table salt; 1 1/2 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 6 slices, white sandwich bread (6 ounces), cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups); 6 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons, sherry vinegar; 1 teaspoon, minced garlic (1 medium garlic clove); 2 teaspoons, Dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon, table salt; 1/8 teaspoon, ground black pepper; 2 large bunches, flat-leaf spinach (about 14 ounces each), stemmed, washed, and dried (about 3 quarts loosely packed); 1 small head, radicchio (about 6 ounces), leaves separated and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 3 cups loosely packed); 1 , Belgian endive (medium, about 5 ounces), halved, cored and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (about 1 cup loosely packed); 1/2 cup, fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces; 1/2 , medium red onion, sliced very thin (about 3/4 cup); 2 , medium avocados, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 8 ounces, deli chicken breast, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks; 8 ounces, Gouda cheese (regular or smoked), sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks; 8 ounces, thick-cut bacon (about 8 slices), cut into 1/4-inch strips, fried in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, and drained on paper towels

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2004

SERVES6 to 8, as a light main dish

TIME45 minutes, plus 20 minutes standing and 20 minutes cooling

Chef's Salad with Spinach, Chicken, and Gouda

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

To produce a substantial chef salad recipe using supermarket ingredients, we chose sturdy but mild greens, like Bibb, romaine, and red- and green-leaf lettuces, which held their shape under the weight of the other ingredients and stood up t...

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