Artichoke, Chicken and Sun dried Tomato Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 T. vegetable oil
1 can artichoke hearts (14 oz)
1 red bell pepper
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted green olives
3 T. parsley, minced
4 cups mixed baby spring greens (clean and dry)

-DRESSING-

2 T. red wine vinegar
5 T. olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. black pepper


-Pound the chicken breasts just until evenly thinned down. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry the chicken for about 5 minutes per side. Set aside.


Cut the bell pepper into strips and briefly cook in a pan over medium heat, 6-7 minutes or until it has begun to soften. Another great alternative is to roast the pepper. But I didn't have time today.

Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over them and soak for 15 minutes. Then drain and mince them.

The artichokes.

Canned artichoke hearts are very delicate, and if you want to keep them from falling apart in your salad, you need to take a little care with them.

Carefully cut each heart into 4ths, and press each one into a paper towel to get rid of the excess brine. Keep the artichoke quarters together with your fingers as you cut them and drain them.


Then, when the salad is finished, place them on top, not mixing them with the other ingredients. That way they'll stay pretty and not fall apart!

Slice or coarsely chop the chicken, and combine with the pepper, parsley, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Then, make the dressing. Simply whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and coat well.

Place the chicken mixture on top of the baby greens. You can do this either on a big platter, or on individual plates. The dressing from the chicken will kind of settle down into the greens. Add your artichokes at the end.