This is such an easy dish to prepare and perfect for summer. The key is to cut all the tomatoes, melon and chicken to the same uniform sized chunks. The dish will look great and you’ll get a great combination of flavors with every bite. And, I know adding sugar to the chicken sounds a little weird. But, trust me, you won’t be disappointed with the flavor.

Tomato And Melon Salad With Poached Chicken
makes 6 servings

Ingredients

Poaching Chicken

1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 cu White Wine
2 tbl Granulated Sugar
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 sm Onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Salt
1″ piece Fresh Ginger, peeled an thinly sliced
2 sprigs Fresh Oregano
1 sprig Rosemary
1/2 Lemon

Salad

4 Tomatoes, preferable Heirloom, cut into uniform chunks
1 1/2 cu Seedless Watermelon Chunks, cut to same size as tomatoes
1 1/3 cu Honey Dew Melon Chunks, cut to same size as tomatoes
1/3 cu Red Onion, sliced paper thin
4-5 Basil Leaves, rolled together and then thinly sliced
4 oz Feta Cheese, crumbled

Dressing

1 1/2 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Balsamic Reduction
1 1/2 tbl Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Salt

Method

Place the chicken breasts in a large saucepan with sides high enough to be able to fully cover the chicken with water. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar into the white wine and then pour the mixture over the chicken. Add enough water to cover the chicken by about 1″. Add the bay leaf, onion, salt, ginger, fresh thyme, and rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as it reach a boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the heat and transfer it to a plate or cutting board. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside to fully cool.

Once the chicken has fully cooled, cut into into uniform chunks like the tomatoes and melon and transfer it to a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, melon, and red onions.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour it over the salad. Gently toss the ingredients to distribute the dressing and top with the feta cheese.