Best Panzanella Toscana Salad

salad of chicken, cucumber, tomato, mozzarella, croutons

Best Panzanella Toscana Salad

Bread salad?! Yes please! Try our mouthwatering and modern version of traditional Pazanella Toscana! Bonus: We added mozzarella and chicken for extra yumm!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Americanized Italian, Italian

Total Time 28

Servings

Calories 746kcal

Author Marcie & Julie

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons salt divided
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 small lemon, zested & juiced
1 clove garlic, minced or zested
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 loaf of any rustic bread but not sourdough
¼ cup olive oil divided
cooking spray
3 heirloom tomatoes, cut into thick slices
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled & chopped
1 cup fresh basil, cut into strips
6 ounces mozzarella balls, ciliegine
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Set oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine 1 ½ t of the salt, Italian seasoning, lemon zest and garlic. Place chicken in medium bowl and sprinkle mixture on top. Toss and set aside.
Cut loaf into 1" cubes (makes ~ 3 cups of bread cubes). Put cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle lemon juice, ½ of the olive oil, and ½ t of the salt over bread. Mix together with your hands, kind of sponging it together. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, max. Bread should be toasted but not dried through.
Meanwhile, coat a grill pan with cooking spray, using a basting brush to spread it, and heat on medium. Once hot, lay chicken on pan and cook for 10 minutes, flipping over several times. Remove chicken from heat, and once cooled, cut into strips.
Plate the salad individually: 2-4 tomato slices, topped with a few slices of red onion, some cucumber, strips of chicken, basil, croutons, and mozzarella. Mix together the balsamic vinegar and the other ½ of the olive oil. Drizzle roughly 2 t of that mix over each plate (4 plates total).

Video

Notes

- Plate the salad individually: 2-4 tomato slices, topped with a few slices of red onion, some cucumber, strips of basil, croutons, and mozzarella. Drizzle 2 t of the oil-vinegar mix atop.
- Get a good olive oil. If you can splurge a bit on any one ingredient, choose a great olive oil. The combo of the bread and olive oil is really the star of a panzanella. Moreover, I would go with extra virgin olive oil, either Italian or Spanish, stored in a dark glass bottle.

- Don't over-bake the bread. You want it soft on the inside but a little crunchy on the outside.

- Be sure to check the temp of the chicken with a reliable meat thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked at 165°F.

- Make this Panzanella Toscana dairy-free and vegetarian by simply eliminating the cheese. The salad is super flavorful without the cheese...and healthier. Lol.

- Make this salad vegan by taking out the mozzarella and chicken. You'll be left with a delicious and more proper Panzanella salad! I don't think you even need any replacements for these ingredients because the flavor is so solid already.

Nutrition