Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad

If you live in Georgia - you know just how iconic the Waffle House restaurant is to our great state.  For those of you who don't live here - just imagine a brick shoebox shaped building wrapped in a signature yellow banner at nearly every intersection and you've got a pretty accurate picture of the number of Waffle House restaurants in Georgia.   😂 Just in case you were curious - There are 437 Waffle House locations in the Peach State.  

Don't be deceived by the name.  It really doesn't matter if you're a fan of waffles or if you even like breakfast food - if you live in Georgia - you are expected go to Waffle House. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It always astounds me that no matter what time of day (or night) I drive past the restaurant, there are always people in the booths, indulging in Southern comfort food.  🥓

 I'm somewhat hesitant to admit this, for fear of being asked to leave the state, but up until a couple of weeks ago, it had been at least two years since I had walked through the doors of the iconic Georgia restaurant.  It's mostly due to the fact that the Waffle House menu doesn't exactly align with my dietary goals. 😬 But, all that nutrition planning got put on hold once we found out that this super cute high school senior, and all around great kid, was working at our local Waffle House.  

Even though the rest of my family adores the waffles at Waffle House - I tend to look for the "healthiest" thing on the menu.  This time, in preparation for our Waffle House visit, I looked up the online menu before we left for dinner - something that my family is relentlessly teasing me about still today. 😅 I just thought I would spare everyone the agony of watching me scrutinize the menu to find something that was "relatively healthy" at a restaurant that specializes in "hearty" and no so much "healthy". 😅 🥞

You might be surprised to know that Waffle House lists a whole selection of salads on their online menu.  A fact that only people who look up online menus before going to a restaurant - would know.  😂 Apparently, the menus at individual Waffle House restaurants can vary from the online version because when I asked for a salad - I got some very blank stares.  It was a cross between, "No one has ever asked for a salad here" and "Why does she think we have salad?"  🥗😅 

I must have had a seriously disappointed look on my face because even though there was no vegetable based foods on their menu, our awesome server offered to craft me a "salad" out of hamburger lettuce and sliced tomatoes.  No dressing, no other vegetables or toppings - just a bowl of lettuce and tomatoes.  🥬🍅 How could I refuse?  I like to say that I ordered a hamburger - minus the meat, the bun and the ketchup and mustard.  

Salads are my jam and whether it's a simple bowl of chopped lettuce and tomatoes or a bowl full of delicious greens, fresh vegetables, lean protein, crunchy nuts, salty cheese and ripe fruits with a citrus vinaigrette - I am a fan.  This is Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad is just about all of my favorite things in a bowl.  I hope that you like it as much as I did.  

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad
Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
2 limes juiced and zested (or lemons)
4 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 nectarines (or peaches)
4 cups mixed greens
3 Tablespoons toasted, chopped walnuts
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Combine marinade ingredients in a ziploc bag.

Add chicken and refrigerate 2-4 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and grill until cooked through.  

Arrange peaches over salad greens in bowls.  

Slice grilled chicken and add to salad.  

Top with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. 

While my Waffle House salad was good and I definitely appreciated the efforts of the team members who went above and beyond to meet my salad requests a reality - this Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad is in another league.  Hope you enjoy!

​Ciao!

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