BLT Caprese with Chicken

This salad is lovely on a rectangular platter with greens around the perimeter, but if you have a large round platter, try filling center with cooked vegetables such as green beans or asparagus or even extra greens. 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups baby spinach or other fresh greens
Kosher salt; fresh ground pepper
1-2 boneless chicken breasts grilled or sautéed-sliced thinly
2 medium ripe tomatoes--sliced thinly
4 ounces fresh mozzerella, sliced thinly
16 fresh basil leaves
8 slices cooked crispy bacon pieces, cut in half
Ripe avocado slices cut in half-optional
Juice of half a lemon
12 kalamata olives--pitted for garnish, optional
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette-recipe below – can sub drizzling with Balsamic vinegar and/or olive oil

Instructions

On a medium-sized rectangular platter, scatter spinach around the edges and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Layer chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil leaves, bacon, and avocado pieces if using, either in two lines in the middle or in a circle inside the ring of spinach. There needn't be every ingredient in each layer; some layers might be two pieces of chicken with basil between, etc. Strive to make the layers as even as possible without being too precise.
Squeeze lemon juice over all and sprinkle layered salad with salt and pepper. Garnish with olives if using. Drizzle with about two tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Notes

If you need to make this ahead, try to do it no more than an hour or two beforehand, cover and refrigerate. Do not add lemon juice or vinaigrette until it's time to serve the salad. You could also make this salad with grilled or store-bought, cooked shrimp.