This easy Chicken and Zucchini Salad is ready in less than 30 minutes and hearty enough for dinner. It's topped with tasty seasoned polenta, sautéed zucchini, shredded chicken, and blue cheese crumbles. Finish with a zesty homemade vinaigrette!
On those busy summer nights when a one-dish meal is a necessity, it's the perfect time to enjoy a filling salad.
I love all kinds of salad recipes. This Panzanella Salad with Artichokes is a fantastic option when I need something cool and refreshing.
I also love, love, love warm salads for dinner, like my Warm Kale Butternut Squash Salad, because they feel more dinnery to me. Tossing hot, sizzling ingredients into crip, cool salad greens makes a delicious mix of textures and temperatures that is so satisfying.
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Why you'll love this chicken and zucchini salad
This Chicken and Zucchini Salad with Polenta Croutons is another warm salad you absolutely need to add to your dinner rotation.
You will literally want to dive in, head first, to this salad because it's bursting with flavor from zucchini, chicken, blue cheese, a tangy vinaigrette, and warm polenta -- yes, polenta in your bowl!
Get ready for some dinner heaven! There's so much more to love about this salad:
- Quick and easy: My favorite thing about this salad is that it can be ready in less than 30 minutes. In just a few simple steps you have a filling meal at your fingertips.
- Polenta croutons: Using polenta in place of croutons not only adds a tasty bite and visual interest to the salad but ensures the salad is gluten-free. It's a delightful swap for regular dry croutons.
- Great for meal prepping: If you like to meal prep for busy nights or get ahead of your dinner menu when entertaining, this salad will be your new best friend. The polenta croutons can be made in advance, and you can save time by using leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it from scratch.
- Homemade dressing: The dressing is a quick, vinegar, herb, and oil situation that brightens the creamy, warm polenta and veggies. This vinaigrette pairs perfectly with blue cheese. It's honestly one of my favorites!
YUM! I made this recipe over the weekend, and it was fantastic! I've never fried polenta like that and loved the flavor and texture it added to the salad. Will DEFINITELY be making this again!
- Jill
Ingredients
I can't wait for you to taste this warm chicken and zucchini salad! Here's what you should know about the ingredients.
- Salad greens: Use your favorite salad greens for the base of the dish. I like to use baby mixed greens or baby arugula.
- Cooked, shredded chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded, but you can also use shredded rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Blue cheese crumbles: I love the sharp flavor of blue cheese in this salad. If preferred you could swap the blue cheese with feta or leave it out altogether.
- Red wine vinegar: The base of the vinaigrette. Adds zest and tang!
- Chopped oregano: I used fresh oregano, but you can substitute dried oregano if desired.
- Sugar and salt: For flavor enhancement.
- Olive oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Most of the oil will be used for the dressing, but you'll also need a little to fry the zucchini and polenta.
- Zucchini: Zucchini is plentiful all summer, and I love it quickly sautéed for this salad. I prefer to use small or medium zucchini. Large zucchini can sometimes taste bitter.
- Polenta: Prepared polenta is the unique ingredient that makes this salad special. Pick up a 16 ounce tube of polenta from the grocery store. You'll only need 8 ounces for the salad. Save the remaining polenta for another meal or make extra croutons for another day.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-step instructions
This salad takes less than 30 minutes to put together. Follow this photo tutorial to make preparation easy as can be.
- Mise en place: Gather and prep 5 cups lettuce, 1 ¾ cups cooked shredded chicken, and ⅓ cup bleu cheese crumbles. Set aside for salad assembly.
- Make the dressing: Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
- Cut and season zucchini: Cut 2 medium zucchini in half lengthwise, then into ¼-inch slices along the bias. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fry zucchini: In a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil over high heat. When hot, add the sliced zucchini and cook while stirring until just golden, about 2 minutes.
- Prepare to cook polenta: Remove zucchini from the skillet and reduce heat to medium.
- Heat polenta: Add polenta to hot skillet and stir until just heated through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Toss salad: In a large bowl, toss together the greens, shredded chicken, and sautéed zucchini and polenta with half the vinaigrette.
- Serve salad: Arrange the salad on a platter, sprinkle with blue cheese, and serve with remaining vinaigrette.
- Get ingredients ready: Gather and prep lettuce, chicken, and cheese. Set aside
- Make vinaigrette: Place dressing ingredients in a blender bottle.
- Blend dressing: Shake well to blend vinaigrette. (Alternately, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.)
- Slice and season zucchini: Cut zucchini in half and then slice into ¼-inch slices. Sprinkle cut zucchini with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil and add zucchini: In a skillet, heat ½ tbsp olive oil over high heat, and then add zucchini slices.
- Cook zucchini: Cook and stir until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Prepare to heat polenta: Remove the zucchini from the skillet. Place the skillet back on the heat and reduce the temperature to medium.
- Stir until heated through: Add the cubed polenta to the hot skillet, and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.
Top tip: how to know when the polenta is warmed through
As you sauté the polenta, you'll notice the color change from a creamy, light yellow to a brighter more opaque yellow. The edges of the croutons will also crisp slightly to a golden brown.
Equipment
You really won't need much to make this polenta salad. Here's a few tools you might like to have on hand:
Storage and make-ahead information
Storage: Since the salad is tossed in vinaigrette before serving, it's best to enjoy it the same day it's dressed.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for an additional 24 hours, but the lettuce will become wilty, and you'll lose the magic taste of contrasting hot ingredients with cool greens.
If you want to extend the life of the salad, store individual salad elements separately, and make smaller salad servings as needed.
Meal prep ideas: There are lots of ways to prep this recipe in advance. For example, you can make the polenta croutons and zucchini up to 2 days in advance and then reheat just before serving the salad.
You can also use a store-bought red wine vinaigrette or pre-crumbled blue cheese. And, this is an ideal recipe to use leftover chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
Pairing
This Chicken and Zucchini Salad is plenty filling (especially with polenta croutons!), but check out these savory sandwiches if you want to add a little extra umph to your meal.
FAQ
Polenta is made from coarsely ground cornmeal, as well as, water, salt, and butter. You can make it from scratch, but I like to use premade polenta. It's a really fun, prepared ingredient that isn't overly processed. You can eat it immediately or cook it as desired.
No, but it is made from cornmeal! It's a porridge-like dish made from cornmeal that originated in Northern Italy. It's got a creamy texture and slightly buttery taste. Although it can be made like a hot cereal, it also comes in a firmer, shelf-stable variety that can bet cut or sliced. This variety of polenta usually comes in tube packaging and will stay shelf-stable until opened.
Both polenta and semolina are made from grains and can be part of healthy diet. Polenta happens to be gluten-free since it is made from cornmeal and would definitely be a healthier option for those following a gluten-free diet. Semolina is a flour made from durum flour and is not gluten-free.
The sharp flavor of blue cheese is perfect with this salad. Any blue cheese would work. Roquefort, a French bleu cheese, is a great choice. Gorgonzola or Stilton are also amazing blue cheeses and work perfectly. Each kind has a distinct flavor, but they will all offer the sharp, creamy, and aged flavors that enhance the salad.
Related
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📖 Recipe
Chicken and Zucchini Salad with Polenta Croutons
Ingredients
- 5 cups (3 ½ oz) baby mixed greens or baby arugula
- 1 ¾ cups cooked chicken breast, shredded (from 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken)
- ⅓ cup (3 oz) crumbled bleu cheese (if desired)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (can substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (DIVIDED)
- 2 medium zucchini
- 8 ounces prepared polenta (cut into ¾-inch cubes, Note: use half of a 16-ounce package)
Instructions
- Prepare the lettuce, cooked shredded chicken, and blue cheese crumbles. Set aside for salad assembly.
- Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, oregano, sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then on the bias into ¼-inch slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add zucchini. Cook, stirring, until just golden, about 2 minutes. Remove zucchini.
- Reduce heat to medium and add polenta to skillet. Cook, stirring, until just heated through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place the greens, shredded chicken, and sauteed zucchini and polenta in a large bowl. Toss with half the vinaigrette.
- Arrange the salad on a platter and sprinkle with blue cheese. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Mary says
Polenta is such an interesting addition! I'm sure the dressing is absorbed by it and is yummy!
Jill McGill says
YUM! I made this recipe over the weekend, and it was fantastic! I've never fried polenta like that and loved the flavor and texture it added to the salad. Will DEFINITELY be making this again!
Tara Teaspoon says
So glad you liked it! It is one of my faves.
Emily says
I never thought to add polenta into my salads! I have to try that, it's such a great idea and would be really filling, too.
Michelle says
Oh my, this looks so tasty! I've never thought to put a combo of zucchini and polenta in my salad; I have to try it. What an awesome flavour combination this will be!
Julie says
I never would have thought to use polenta like this! And these croutons are softer than normal croutons, which I love! Warm salads always feel a bit "more" to me as well! The dressing was simple and delicious, homemade is the way to go.
Beth says
This was so, so good! I made this last night for dinner, and we all loved it. It was also so easy, which I love.
Ben says
Aww, yeah. This is my new favorite salad. This was so good, and I usually don't even like salads!
Tara Teaspoon says
Oh that's so great to hear!
Julie says
I have been eating a lot of salads lately, but I don't have a lot of variety for types of salads in my repetoire. This is just what I've been looking for, and with the chicken added, I'm thrilled that it's great to make for dinner!
Tara Teaspoon says
It's good in the mix! Glad you like it!
Marie Gizelle says
I love chicken salads but has never tried with zucchini and polenta. Looks easy to make and yum!!
Jennifer Passmore says
Green salads are so tasty! But, I do often find myself lacking protein and, well, any other kind of something that jazzes it up at all. The chicken and polenta sound delish!
Clarice says
This looks delicious! We're trying to eat healthier and would love to give this a try. I have gluten intolerance and never thought about using polenta as an alternative. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Karletta says
This salad is a one dish wonder. Perfect for summer lunch outdoors. The polenta is a different touch too