Salad with Grilled Chicken, Raspberries & Peaches

This salad is part of the last gasp of summer.  Almost every week for the past 2 months, I've picked up peaches and raspberries from the farmers market but exclusively used them as snacks or in desserts. This time, I put them in a salad.  In a delicious salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, candied almonds and marinated grilled chicken.  To be honest, I was a little worried this salad might be too sweet for our tastes but it turned out wonderful.  I did leave out a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the vinaigrette because we like our salad dressings on the tarter side but no big changes were made.  The candied almonds add a great crunch and the brie crostini helps round out the meal. 

We don't have a grill so I used an indoor grill for the chicken and broiled the peaches and bread slices.  We liked the peaches but I didn't find them crucial to the salad (our leftovers the next day without the peaches were just as delicious!).  Enjoy while summer is still around!

Salad with Grilled Chicken, Raspberries & Peaches
Taken from: Pink Parsley
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 1 Tbs unsalted butter
• kosher salt
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/3 cups fresh raspberries, divided
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbs honey, divided
• 3 Tbs minced fresh basil
• 3 Tbs minced fresh mint (I didn't have this so I omitted)
• 1 Tbs minced shallots or onions
• 5-6 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 4 slices French bread, 1-inch thick
• 4 slices brie (4 oz)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 peaches, halved and pitted
• 4-6 oz salad greens (I used a mix of spinach, arugula and romaine)

1. Can be made ahead of time: Toast the almonds in a nonstick skillet until golden and fragrant, stirring often.  Add the sugar, butter, and salt, and stir until the sugar dissolves and coats the almonds.  Transfer to a plate to cool, then break up into pieces.
2. Whisk together the vinegar, 1/3 cup raspberries, 1 tablespoon of the honey, mustard, 1 tablespoon each of the basil and mint, and the shallots.  Using the whisk, mash the raspberries to incorporate into the other ingredients.  Drizzle in 3-4 Tbs olive oil (we like our dressing more tart so I only did 3), whisking constantly.  Set aside 1/2 cup for the chicken marinade, and reserve the remaining dressing for the salad.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high.  Pound the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to 1/2-inch thickness.  Marinate the chicken in the reserved marinade for 15 minutes, turning every few minutes to evenly coat.
4. Meanwhile, combine the remaining honey with 2 tablespoons of oil.  Brush onto the cut-side of the peaches, and both sides of the bread slices.
5. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, and grill, covered, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side (the internal temperature should be 165 degrees).  Grill the peaches until lightly marked, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Grill the bread 1-2 minutes, until toasted.  Flip over and divide the cheese evenly among slices.  Continue grilling, uncovered, until the cheese melts, 2-3 more minutes.
6. Toss the salad greens and the remaining basil and mint with the reserved vinaigrette.  Gently fold in the raspberries and almonds, and serve the salad atop the chicken.  Serve with the grilled peaches and brie croutons.