This is the kind of dressing that turns a standard bowl of greens into a show-stopping meal, especially when paired with rotisserie chicken for an effortless, healthy lunch or dinner. When blood oranges are in season, their brilliant color and berry-like sweetness make a simple poppy seed vinaigrette really come to life. This salad dressing is tangy, sweet, and easy to whip up. And, if blood oranges aren’t in season, a regular navel orange is a perfectly delicious year-round substitute.
I’m switching things up a bit at the beginning of this week and giving you three meals that make use of a rotisserie chicken, which you can find at any grocery store on any given day of the week. These are all meals that can be made with little fuss and will help add a little bit of variety to your weekday dinners. I suggest buying your rotisserie chicken on a Saturday or Sunday, so you have the proper time required to deal with your bird. If you have the time, I also suggest making all three meals on that same day. It really won’t take you very long to whip up each of the three recipes; the longest time will be spent waiting for the broth to cook down. You’ll have three days that you won’t have to worry about what’s for dinner if you prepare everything all at once.
For the first day, I suggest you remove all of the chicken’s meat from the bones. Dark meat and white, I’ll give you the perfect use for each. It’s best to remove the meat when the chicken is still warm, but has cooled down slightly; those birds are pretty scorching hot when you first get them home. Try to keep the chicken breasts intact, but everything else you will want to chop into smaller pieces or tear off the carcass. Don’t throw away the carcass or any skin or fat that you remove; you’ll be boiling those down to make a simple broth, which you will use for “Rotisserie Chicken Day 3.” Also, don’t forget to set aside a bit of chicken for your dog or cat; chances are they’re sitting right beside you the entire time you’re taking all that meat off of the bones. I’m never quite sure what spices have been put on the chicken, so I tend to give Brenna a bit of the white chicken breast that is farthest away from the skin. I worry about her eating something she shouldn’t be, but there’s no way a chicken is coming into this house without her getting a piece of it.
So here’s the sad thing. Blood oranges are no longer in season, which means you will no longer be able to make this recipe. So here’s the good thing. You can just substitute a normal run-of-the-mill navel orange in place of a blood orange. No big deal, the world won’t end, and this vinaigrette will still taste yummy; I promise. For the first day, thinly slice or chop the chicken breasts into chunks. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you want to leave the skin on, or go the healthier route by removing it. If you decide to remove it, put it in the pile of “stuff” that will make up your broth. Now all you have to do is whip up a batch of this vinaigrette and drizzle it all over a freshly made salad topped off with your sliced or chopped rotisserie chicken. How hard was that? You can get all crazy and experiment with several different salad makings and toppings, or you can choose to be boring and just use plain ol’ lettuce; it’s all up to you.
P.S. If you plan on making all three recipes in one day, you will need to make a simple chicken broth from the rotisserie chicken on day one. Place the leftover carcass, including all of the bones and skin, into a large pot and fill with water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 2 hours. Use a colander to drain the liquid into a large bowl or container and allow it to cool before refrigerating. The next day, you will be able to skim any excess fat off the top of the broth before using it. If you want to use the broth on day one to make day three’s recipe, place the broth in the freezer after it has come to room temperature. After half an hour to an hour, the excess fat should rise to the top of the container, which will allow you to skim it off. Any leftover broth that you do not use in day three’s recipe can be kept in the fridge or freezer for later use.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/3 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Zest and Juice of 1 Blood Orange
- 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onions
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Poppy Seeds
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place all of the ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour the vinaigrette into a glass jar or dish, cover, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Serve drizzled over a salad topped with chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken breasts.
Suggestions:
- If blood oranges are out of season, substitute the zest and juice of a navel orange.
- Refrigerating the vinaigrette for at least 4 hours will help the flavors meld and give the dried minced onions time to reconstitute.
Improvements:
- Replace the Dijon mustard with spicy brown mustard.
- Use a finely diced shallot in place of the dried minced onions.
- Replace the light brown sugar with honey.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other delicious salad dressing recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/3 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Zest and Juice of 1 Blood Orange
- 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onions
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Poppy Seeds
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place all of the ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour the vinaigrette into a glass jar or dish, cover, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Serve drizzled over a salad topped with chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken breasts.
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Rotisserie Chicken Day 1 – Blood Orange Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
This is the kind of dressing that turns a standard bowl of greens into a show-stopping meal, especially when paired with rotisserie chicken for an effortless, healthy lunch or dinner. When blood oranges are in season, their brilliant color and berry-like sweetness make a simple poppy seed vinaigrette really come to life. This salad dressing is tangy, sweet, and easy to whip up. And, if blood oranges aren’t in season, a regular navel orange is a perfectly delicious year-round substitute. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Rotisserie Chicken Day 2 – Paprika and Tarragon Vinegar Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Store-bought rotisserie chicken is the ultimate busy weeknight dinner solution, but its true magic lies in what happens after the first meal. Why let all of those leftovers go to waste when you can turn them into a crave-worthy rotisserie chicken salad? With one chicken, you can feed your family, stock your fridge or freezer with homemade broth, and whip up the best chicken salad you’ve ever tasted. This chicken salad recipe features a bright pop of tarragon vinegar, a smoky kiss of paprika, and just the right touch of sweet relish to keep things interesting. Whether you’re spreading it onto a crusty baguette or serving it with crisp crackers, this flavor-packed recipe is about to become your new lunch or snack-time go-to. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Rotisserie Chicken Day 3 – Curried Lentil and Rotisserie Chicken Stew
Stop throwing away your leftover rotisserie chicken bits and pieces. By transforming the skin, bones, and scraps into a simple, homemade broth, you can whip up a flavorful curried lentil and rotisserie chicken stew that is as hearty as it is healthy. With the perfect balance of warm curry, earthy lentils, and a surprise hint of carrot and apple sweetness, this is the ultimate zero-waste meal made from leftovers, perfect for days when you need a wee bit of warm comfort. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
CLICK HERE to see all of our amazingly fresh and delicious salad recipes. We’ve included a list of every salad recipe we’ve ever shared with our readers. If you scroll down, you’ll also find lists that break these recipes down into even more categories, such as potato salad, pasta salad, quinoa salad, coleslaw, chicken salad, egg salad, corn salad, pea salad, bean salad, tomato salad, cucumber salad, asparagus salad, broccoli salad, cauliflower salad, dinner salad, fruit salad, and salad dressing recipes. Whatever kind of salad you’re craving, we’ve got a recipe for it, and hopefully, these lists will make it easier for you to find the exact recipe you are searching for.
