Tortellini Chicken Salad

I used to work and live in Birmingham, Alabama back before married life moved me to Virginia. One of our favorite lunch spots at the office was Frank Stitt’s Bottega Cafe. This salad, which no longer appears on the menu (at least since I’ve been back there), was one of my most favorite things to get there. After I moved I craved it so much I decided to try to recreate it from memory. It wasn’t until a couple of years later I realized Frank Stitt’s recipe was in his cookbook Bottega Favorita. I realized then my creation and it’s inspiration were pretty different. This salad is still on heavy rotation in my house and I love saving leftovers for lunch the next day, if any leftovers ever make it to the fridge.

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Tortellini and chicken combine with salty feta and sweet balsamic glaze to create a wonderful salad that fills you up.

Author: The Anchored Kitchen

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
¼ C balsamic vinegar
¼ C olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp balsamic glaze

For the Salad:

8 oz spring lettuce mix
½ C crumbled feta
⅓ C pine nuts, toasted
1 package of three cheese tortellini, cooked and drained
¼ C balsamic glaze
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable plastic bag with all of the marinade ingredients. Marinate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
Grill the chicken on a grill or in a grill pan. It takes about five minutes per side for the chicken to cook depending on how thick your breasts are. Let them rest for five minutes and then slice into thin slices. Place the lettuce on a large serving platter. Top it with the warm tortellini, feta cheese, pine nuts, and chicken breast slices. Drizzle the balsamic glaze and olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.