Chimichurri Grilled Chicken & Wilted Kale Salad

Make Chimichurri: In a food processor or wide-base Vitamix, combine all ingredients EXCEPT oil. Pulse until mixture is chunky, 10-20 seconds, then slowly drizzle in oil through the top, until combined to your desired consistency: I like mine a little more incorporated, like pesto.

Marinate chicken: Add diced chicken to a large Ziploc bag, and add ½ cup chimichurri. Seal bag and shake to evenly coat, then refrigerate. Refrigerate the rest of the chimichurri. Marinate chicken at least 2 hours and up to 12.

Prep kale: Rinse kale and remove stems. Layer several leaves, roll tightly into a ‘tube’ shape, then slice crosswise to create ¼” thick ribbons. Add to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice from one lemon. Sprinkle on ¼ teaspoon each salt, pepper and onion powder. Use clean hands to vigorously ‘massage’ oil and spices into the kale, until it has noticeably softened and reduced in volume. Refrigerate.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat, add avocado oil and turn on your exhaust fan. Test a piece of chicken: when it sizzles as it touches the pan, you’re ready to cook. Add chicken pieces, shaking off excess marinade, making sure not to overlap as much as possible.

Sear 5-7 minutes, until golden-brown on the bottom. Chicken should release easily when it’s ready to flip. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes, until golden-brown and completely cooked through in the thickest part. Remove to a heat-proof dish.

Turn heat down to medium, add 1 cup water to the pan and use a wooden spoon or firm spatula to scrape up the brown bits. You can either save these to drizzle over chicken before serving, or discard--but adding the water to the pan while still hot helps making cleaning much easier!

Serve chicken warm over kale, with an extra drizzle of chimichurri sauce and any garnish of choice. Leftover chicken will keep tightly sealed in the fridge up to 4 days, kale up to 6 (separate). Leftover chicken will keep frozen up to 3 months.