Italian Chicken Salad

I was going to use leftover chicken for this recipe, but then I realized I only had one chicken breast left, and this recipe called for at least 3 cups. So I resorted to these butterball turkey breast strips my mom had purchased in place of the chicken. With all the flavors, you couldn't even notice the difference in meat. I forgot I even made the substitution and kept calling this chicken salad.

Italian Turkey Salad

adopted from Elizabeth's Edible Experience

Ingredients

Dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 small gloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Salad:

3 cups sliced turkey breast

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup of pitted ripe olive slices

3 (6.5 oz) jars of quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Directions:

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a small skillet and saute red bell pepper until tender; about 8 minutes. When the peppers begin to soften, add the quartered artichoke hearts. Remove from skillet after 8 minutes and let cool.

To prepare salad, place chicken in a large bowl. Pour dressing over chicken and add the oregano, parsley and basil. Stir to combine. Add the artichoke hearts, red peppers and olives to the chicken mixture and combine.

Serve the chicken salad on fresh ciabatta rolls or over lettuce leaves for a perfect salad.