Kale Sale and Chicken Fingers

Ingredients

Salad:

•2 bunches lacinato kale (AKA the flat, not curly kind), or 2 10-ounce bags of shredded kale

•1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

•1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

•Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

•1 large garlic clove, grated

•Pinch of red pepper flakes

•Kosher salt

•1 nectarine, thinly sliced

Fancy Chicken Fingers:

•1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

•1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

•3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning

•1/3 cup cooking oil such as canola, vegetable, grapeseed, or avocado

•1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips)

•1 large egg

•1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

To make the salad: Pull or cut the tough ribs out of 2 large bunches of kale, then stack all of the leaves together, facing the same direction and slice the kale as thinly as you can. Use a salad spinner to soak the kale, then spin it until it’s completely dry.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 grated garlic clove, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

To zest the lemon and grate the garlic clove, you can either use a microplane or the smallest hole on a box grater. If you have neither, omit the lemon zest and just mince the garlic. Whisk together to combine. This will not look like your average salad dressing. It’ll be really thick and chunky. That’s normal!

Add the thinly sliced kale to the bowl and sprinkle a bit of salt over top. Using both hands, massage the kale, tossing it with the salad dressing, until it’s tender. You want the kale to be tender, but not totally limp, so only massage (AKA squeeze it between your fist) about 10 times. Taste and add more salt if needed. Place your salad in the refrigerator until the chicken is ready. (We didn’t forget the nectarines — they’re coming later!)

To make the chicken: Combine 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning to a large bowl.

Now go ahead and start warming 1/3 cup cooking oil in your largest nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When you add a piece of Panko to the skillet and it sizzles immediately, it’s hot enough to cook in.

Add 1 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon salt to a bowl and use your hands to combine and coat the chicken in egg wash.

Transfer one chicken tender at a time into the Panko mixture, coat it completely, then transfer it to the skillet. Keep going until the skillet is full, leaving about 1 inch of space between each piece of chicken. You’ll probably need to fry them in two batches.

Cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden-brown all over. You can use an internal meat thermometer to check and make sure the chicken is 165°F internally. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack if you have one (it prevents the crispy coating from getting soggy), or to a plate if you don’t. Continue until all of the chicken is cooked.

Divide the kale salad between 2 to 4 plates, and place nectarine slices and the crispy chicken on top. DIG IN!