1288. PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN, SQUASH and CHARD SALAD with BACON VINAIGRETTE

yields four servings


Chicken:
2 bone-in chicken breast halves
2 chicken leg quarters
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil

Salad:
1 2/3 cups sliced Fuji apple
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 ounces Swiss chard leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
4 1/4 cups (1/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Vinaigrette:
2 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
8 ounces wild mushrooms, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Remaining ingredient:
3 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare chicken, loosen skin from breast halves and leg quarters by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; rub salt mixture evenly under loosened skin. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, to pan; cook 5 minutes or until brown. Bake at 400° for 28 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening. Reserve drippings and 2 tablespoons fat; discard remaining fat.

To prepare salad, combine apple, juice, and chard in a large bowl; toss to coat. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash to pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until tender, turning to brown on all sides. Remove from heat; stir in maple syrup. Add squash mixture to apple mixture. Sprinkle salad with remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; toss.

To prepare vinaigrette, heat reserved 2 tablespoons chicken fat in pan over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and garlic to bacon mixture; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cider vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Stir in reserved chicken drippings and broth; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Arrange 2 cups apple mixture on each of 4 plates; drizzle each serving with 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Top each serving with 1 chicken breast half or 1 leg quarter, and sprinkle each serving with 2 1/4 teaspoons walnuts.


courtesy of: Eric Ripert, Cooking Light, October 2008