Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, & Chickpea Salad

Last night’s dinner was Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, avocado, red roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, chicken, and feta cheese tossed in a garlicky lemon vinaigrette. It was a bowl of my favorite things, and the fellas liked it too! We’re big fans of Brussels sprouts, so it was great to have one more chance to serve them that’s not a fall/winter holiday. Let’s face it, corn on the cob and tomato season is right around the corner.

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1 red pepper, roasted
• 3 thinly sliced chicken cutlets, breaded
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1 – 16oz. can chickpeas
• 1 – 13.75 oz. artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 avocado, chopped
• heaping 1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
• olive oil

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of a half lemon
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Pull off the outer leaves of the brussels sprouts, trim off the stem, and cut in half. Toss in a medium bowl with a splash of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet pan and roast, turning over every 10 minutes for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
2. While the Brussels sprouts are in the oven, rub the red pepper with olive oil and roast until soft, and the skin is blistered. Remove Brussels sprouts from oven when they are carmelized and tender. Pull the skin off of the red pepper, clean out the seeds, and cut the pepper into strips.
3. In a large bowl, add the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, red onion, and avocado.
4. Wash the chicken cutlets, dry, dip in beaten egg, and then the bread crumbs. Cook in olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cut into bite sized pieces.
5. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic together.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil a bit at a time whisking until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the Brussels sprouts, red pepper, chicken, and feta cheese to the bowl. Pour in the vinaigrette and toss to mix. Serves 4 as a main course.