Chicken Garden Medley

July heat. The relentless kind where the asphalt shimmers and the cab is a sauna before the AC kicks in and the corn along I-80 is taller than the truck and everything feels suspended, slow, thick with heat and the particular patience that a Nebraska July demands. I drove to Omaha and back twice this week and the slow cooker stayed off because I am not making hot food in a hundred-degree truck. Cold chicken salad, fruit, crackers, sweet tea. That is summer trucking food and I am not ashamed of the simplicity.

Larry called me from somewhere in Iowa. He said he is fine. He said the road is good. He said the weather is hot, which I know because I am also on the road and also in the same weather, and our conversations are sometimes just two truckers confirming that reality exists. The call lasted three minutes. He did not sound as tired as last time. Or maybe I was listening for improvement and found it, the way you find what you are looking for even when it is not there. Hope is a powerful editor. It rewrites what you hear to match what you need.

I talked to Dave about Larry this week. I said I am worried. He said I know. I said his hands shake. He said I have seen it. I said should we say something. He said to who? I said to Larry. Dave said he knows, Brenda. He knows and he does not want to talk about it and we cannot make him talk about something he does not want to talk about. Dave is right. Dave is always right about the things I do not want to hear. That is the job of a husband sometimes: to be right about the difficult things and to say them gently.

I made homemade ice cream this weekend. Vanilla, the old-fashioned kind with a custard base: cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean. Churned in the ice cream maker that Gayle gave us for Christmas three years ago and that I use exactly twice a year, in July and August, because homemade ice cream is a summer thing and only a summer thing and expanding it beyond summer would diminish it. The kids ate it in cones on the porch and the ice cream dripped down their arms and nobody cared and the evening was warm and golden and I thought: these moments. Hold these moments. They are melting as fast as the ice cream.

The cold chicken salad I mentioned — the crackers, the sweet tea, the keeping it simple — that is exactly the spirit behind this Chicken Garden Medley, which has become my go-to answer for July heat. I made a big batch the same weekend I churned the ice cream, and while the kids were dripping cones on the porch and the evening was doing that golden summer thing it does, I was already thinking about the week ahead, the road, the cooler I would pack. This one is bright and fresh and asks nothing of you except a knife and a little time, and some weeks that is exactly the recipe you need.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or thawed frozen)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the chicken. Season chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Grill, pan-sear, or poach over medium heat until cooked through, about 6—7 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes, then dice or shred into bite-sized pieces.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
Combine the vegetables. In a large bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, corn, and parsley.
Add the chicken. Add the cooked chicken to the vegetable mixture and pour the dressing over everything. Toss gently to coat.
Chill and serve. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together. Serve cold, over greens or with crackers. Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Garden Medley — Summer on the Road Deserves Something Fresh and Simple