Make Ahead Farro Salad with Quick Brined Chicken
Farro Salad Prep: 15 minutes
Farro Salad Cook Time:45 minutes
Chicken Prep: 40 minutes
Chicken Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
You can 100% eat this salad without the chicken and it's really, really good. It's bright, nutty and filling but the brined chicken and parmesan cheese will add the saltiness needed to make the farro taste just right. I’ve purposely skipped additional salt in the farro prep for this reason. I suggest you make the farro salad a day ahead because all the ingredients have more time to mingle together and it produces way better flavor. If you don’t, you can always brine the chicken while the farro cooks, ideally for 30 minutes, but even a 15-minute brine will make the chicken juicer (don’t over brine or you’ll end up with spongy chicken).
Farro Salad Ingredients
1 cup farro, uncooked
1 cup apple juice
a pinch of fine sea salt
2 bay leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
½ cup pistachio nuts, shells removed, chopped
2 cups arugula leaves
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 cup mint leaves, torn
¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup thinly sliced radish
Chicken Ingredients
16 ounces (about 4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
⅓ cup fine sea salt
4 cups warm water
lemon peel
a few whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaf
coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
Farro Salad Preparation
Bring farro, apple juice, a pinch of salt, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cups water to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat until liquid evaporates and farro is tender. If all the liquid evaporates after 20 minutes have passed, add a little more apple juice and continue to simmer. When farro is tender, remove from heat, discard bay leaves and let cool completely. If you need the farro to cool fast, strain under cold water.
In a large bowl, mix olive oil and lemon juice. Add cooled farro, shaved parmesan, and chopped pistachio nuts and mix well.
Fold in tomatoes, radish, and coarse kosher salt to taste and stir well to combine.
Let this sit in the refrigerator overnight but no longer than that. It will not keep well for several days. Bring to room temperature and fold in arugula and herbs.
Chicken Preparation
Make the brine to marinate the chicken by adding 4 cups of warm water to a baking dish. Pour in 1/3 cup of fine sea salt and stir to dissolve. Add 1 bay leaf, lemon peel, black peppercorns, and crushed garlic cloves. Add chicken and let sit for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from the brine. Place each chicken breast between plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. You can also use the bottom of a small frying pan. Lightly season each breast with coarse kosher salt and pepper on both sides and set aside.
Heat a frying pan large enough to fit the chicken in a single layer over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add olive oil and butter and swirl the pan so it is lightly covered.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts. Cook for 1 minute without moving so they become just a little golden on one side.
Flip each chicken breast over and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and set a timer for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid or disturb it.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. (If you have an electric stove, remove the pan from the heat.) Do not lift the lid and disturb the chicken for 10 more minutes.
Remove chicken from pan. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temp — it should be 165 degrees. Slice the chicken against the grain. There should be no pink inside.
To Serve
Divide farro salad between four plates and top each one with sliced chicken.
Note* The farro salad will not keep well once the herbs and arugula are mixed in.
