Chives in my garden. I have tons! The beautiful purple flowers are edible, too.
Fine cooking friend and local caterer par excellence, Patti White, and I banded together to develop a recipe for this main dish salad to serve 40+ guests for a fun Saturday evening event at First Congregational Church, Colorado Springs. During a trial run last Wednesday, we took my spring fave More Time at the Table Asparagus-Potato Salad , oven-roasted instead of boiled the potatoes, added Patti’s tender lemon-grilled chicken breast along with a tender bed of well-seasoned baby spinach and fresh basil leaves, then topped the whole thing with a piquant, mustardy vinaigrette showered with a fine dusting of freshly-ground pepper. Garnishes? For sure and always. Kalamata olives for the brine; Parmigiano-Reggiano for the salty umami; halved cherry tomatoes for color, texture, and a fresh element; and YAY!! chives from my garden just because. Did we like it? We so, so did… (I love it when Patti and I work together.)
Et voilà, a handsome, toothsome, whole-meal salad was born. While it was awesome for a large crowd (wedding shower, anyone?), I’m thinking it might be just about perfect for you and a few close friends or you and a partner with a couple of extra meals thrown in. Let’s think a simple spring or summer supper, shall we? Scroll down for DINNER PARTY ideas.
Here’s a small photo gallery of how the recipe basically works:
Roast potatoes.Whisk vinaigrette.Cook asparagus + mushrooms. Mix w/ potatoes; add scallions+red peppers. Stir in the vinaigrette.Grill the chicken.Plate spinach/drizzle w/ vinaigretteAdd potatoes + asparagus mixtureLayer the chicken and garnish well.
Like any decent whole meal salad, ours was made even better by paying attention to 1. Using a mix of fresh and cooked ingredients, 2. Whisking together lots of our own extra-perky vinaigrette made with high-quality vinegar and oil, and 3. Paying attention to contrasts in colors, differences in textures, and a variety of flavors for a balanced and interesting mouth feel. Who likes to get bored bored eating salad?
So what did it look like making the Spring Chicken for a few dozen good eaters Saturday night?
Our Founders’ room with tables set beautifully by Patti, shown here with my best sous and husband, Dave:
Here’s my home prep of the salad mixture: roasted potatoes, asparagus and mushrooms, green onions, red bell peppers, and vinaigrette. Each bowl served 12.
How do you begin to serve a main dish salad for 40+? You begin by setting out the plates and adding the spinach! A long counter helps a lot.
And what does it looking when it’s served? Includes great bread and butter, please and thank you. It takes many beautiful hands to get it all out there for the group to enjoy. Patti’s plating and serving crew rocked!
Of course, there’s a bit of difference between plating for 40+ hungry people (above) and plating for one hungry camera (below). You’ll find it out quickly when you try this at home and make yours pretty, please:
When good friend and caterer Patti White needed quick ideas for a dinner menu for 40, I suggested including one of my favorite spring recipes, Asparagus Potato Salad. After looking over the photo of my dish, Patti wondered if we couldn’t just grill her lemon-marinated boneless chicken breasts, slice them thickly, and add them to the salad. I told her to come over the next morning so we could try it out. With a few twists and perky add-ons, we were soon eating a fine chicken salad for lunch and had a firm plan for her dinner event. You might make it just as we did, or perhaps you’ll add your own spin on a happy spring supper. The potato-asparagus mixture can be made a day ahead and brought to room temperature just before serving.6 servings
12cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (about ¼ pound)(garnish)
6tablespoonsminced chives, can include chive flowers(garnish)
6fresh lemon wedges for serving ( 1 1/2 lemons)
Instructions
MARINATE THE CHICKEN: 2-4 hours ahead of serving: Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt/pepper in a shallow, non-reactive container or bowl. Add the chicken. Turn it a time or two to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, turning it once or twice as it marinates.
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 400F and set rack at center. Grease a half-sheet pan and set aside.
MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: To a 4-cup measuring cup or medium bowl, add the vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper; rest 5 minutes to dissolve salt. Whisk in the Dijon-style mustard. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
PREP POTATOES AND ROAST: Add potatoes to a large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the crushed red pepper. Turn the potato mixture out onto the greased half sheet pan and, using tongs or your hands, turn them cut side down. Place in preheated oven and roast about 30 minutes or until golden brown and tender, turning over halfway through roasting time. Remove from oven and return to the large bowl.
WHILE THE POTATOES ROAST, SAUTÉ THE ASPARGUS, MUSHROOMS, AND GARLIC: Heat a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil and tilt the skillet around to coat. Add the asparagus and mushrooms. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring, for about 5 minutes until vegetables are nearly tender, adding garlic slices about halfway through the cooking time. Remove from heat and turn asparagus mixture into the large bowl of potatoes. Stir gently. Tip in the scallions and chopped red pepper; mix. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the reserved vinaigrette and stir once more gently. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a little more vinaigrette as needed. The vegetables should be just coated well, not gloppy or dripping.
GRILL CHICKEN: Heat stovetop grill over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil on the pan in three rectangles, about 3”x6”. (Sort of the shape of the breasts.) Remove the chicken from the marinade and let drip back into its dish before placing on the hot grill. (Leave marinade in dish.) Grill about 2 minutes until dark grill marks appear and turn over. Drizzle reserved marinade over the breasts and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Flip chicken one last time; turn down heat to low and cover lightly. Cook until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each breast reads 165F. Remove chicken to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. (You can begin to plate the salad now.) Slice each breast at an angle into 6 or 8 thick pieces. (Alternately, grill outdoors on gas grill; see link in post.)
PLATE SALAD: To each plate or shallow bowl, add about 2 cups fresh spinach along with a few fresh basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the spinach mixture lightly with vinaigrette. Place about a cup of the dressed potato-asparagus mixture just in front of or on top of some of the spinach leaves. Add 3-4 slices of chicken in front of the salad and drizzle with vinaigrette. If you have the juice from the chicken on the plate or cutting board, drizzle that over the chicken, too. Garnish each salad with a tablespoon or so of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 4 kalamata olives, and 4 cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle with chives and more freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over salad.
Notes
Copyright Alyce Morgan, 2026. All rights reserved.
Yes, chive flowers — and most culinary herb flowers — are edible. If you’ve got them, use them!
CHANGE IT UP: In a serious pinch, you might use some rotisserie chicken. Not my favorite, but it’d work. Tired of chicken? Isn’t there a lot of it lately? I know. Why not sliced, barely pink pork tenderloin? Or, how about grilled shrimp with oregano ? Do then add a little cucumber with sliced red onions and use feta in place of parm for a Greek-style salad. No time for marinating the chicken breasts? Try for at least for 5 minutes with the chicken in the lemon-olive oil mixture. Any time is better than none. Have no chives? Minced fresh parsley or more thinly-sliced scallions will work well. Not a potato fan? You could skip them and perhaps add another vegetable (sliced zucchini?) to the asparagus-mushroom sauté. Sweet potatoes or penne pasta would sub easily for the potatoes. Have a vegetarian or vegan friend coming? Of course you can simply leave off the chicken but if you’ve time, cook a cup of penne pasta, adding a few pieces of sliced zucchini or some chopped green beans for the last couple of minutes. Mix the pasta and veggies with a bit of vinaigrette, some Parmigiana Reggiano, and another sprinkling of salt and pepper. Use that bit of pasta “salad” in place of the chicken breast. For a vegan friend, same drill but skip the cheese. Toasted breadcrumbs are a good sub. Another idea, submitted by my best sous and husband Dave, is to replace the chicken with large, grilled portobello mushrooms. That way, everyone gets some grilled love.
Like most More Time recipes, I want your dinner to be YOUR dinner and not mine, so create the meal the way it makes most sense to you. Just as long as you’re inspired. And happy. And full. And….well, you got it.
With Patti’s and my spring chicken salad as the centerpiece, you can add just a few things to make the meal for you and your friends complete. How about….
WINE: Try a Sauvignon Blanc, an Unoaked Chardonnay, or a springy Rosé. If you really, really need a red, move toward a lighter red such as a Beaujolais.
APPETIZERS: I’d go in with something everyone likes…shrimp and cheese. Try my Shrimp-Green Chile Pimento Cheese Spread with crackers and veggies. Looks spicy, but isn’t too.
DESSERT: Since this is a fairly light main dish, why not splurge on dessert? Double (GF) or Triple Chocolate Cheesecake.Cheesecakes can be baked weeks in advance and, wrapped well, frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. Not baking? Chocolate ice cream with strawberries and whipping cream will do the trick. Or even some Häagen Dazs ice cream bars? Everyone loves those.
OR: Assign courses, share the cooking, and see what folks bring.
If salad makes you salivate, take my online, no-charge salad class. There are 3 parts, though you can start and stop where you’d like. Check out the first lesson here.
We made it back happily and safely from France and Spain, had a wondrous time traveling with good friends Lee, Pam, and Ruth Lehmkuhl….and lived through the jet lag. I’ve got some lovely thoughts about upcoming recipes to share based on our adventures. Stay tuned! Next trip: Japan for a month in the fall.
Meanwhile, I’ve done a test run of a going away dinner for our good friend Ruth (far right in the above group photo). When I asked Ruth what she’d like to eat that night, she promptly said, “A stuffed pork roast.” Well, I’ve stuffed turkey breasts, lamb legs, chicken and more but I don’t think I’ve done the pork and thought I’d better see how it’s done. I read through a variety of recipes and sort of mishmashed my own way through, coming up with this fine, delicious piece of holiday-ish meat:
Of course there were garlic mashed potatoes and a shallot-mushroom gravy. I’m just pretty sure our friend will enjoy it. AND! It was a $9, 3-lb roast that I’m sure will feed 8. Lovely value.
Around the ‘hood:
Lurkey Turkey–repeat readers may remember our neighborhood’s skinny turkey hen–visited our yard the other day, looking for water, I’d say, but chomping down on everything she could get her beak onto. Yes, she’s alone again. Sigh. Pray for the return of Tom Turkey. Lots of critters enjoy the green bits of our property. We’re about to get the entire yard done over and some of their favorite dinners — the junipers — are getting the proverbial ax. Oh well; they’ll eat somewhere, I guess.
Thanks for reading, thinking, and dreaming of food with me. Cook some salad for yourself and maybe someone else. You’re worth it!
