Chicken, Cherry, & Goat Cheese Salad

THIS is what you make when your girlfriends are coming over for lunch.

THIS is what you make when you need a light meal to impress your mother-in-law.

THIS is what you make when your almost-5-year-old has been picking on his baby brother and ohmyGOD you just need to treat yourself to something fresh and eat in relative peace for five minutes.

Oh.  Was that last one just me then?

Chicken, Cherry, & Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe slightly adapted from a cookbook my mom has that I think she got from Cooks Illustrated
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 10 minutes

2 (6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tbsp orange marmalade, divided
2 1/2 tbsp sherry OR apple cider vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
12 oz fresh cherries, pitted and halved
5 cups of some kind of salad green [Note: Field greens would be best with this, but I used what I had on-hand, which happened to be a little bagged ice berg salad and bagged romaine salad]
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans, optional
1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook chicken until brown on one side.  Flip chicken, then stir water and 1 tbsp marmalade into skillet.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.  LET REST on cutting board before slicing.

My pictures will show I adjusted the recipe for 2 servings, instead of 4.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp marmalade, vinegar, and shallot.  Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup of oil (4 tbsp = 1/4 cup).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Just a little marmalade, but it goes so far.

3.  Add salad greens to the large bowl with the dressing, toss to combine, and divide among 4 individual plates.  Top with cherries, pecans, and goat cheese.  Slice chicken crosswise and arrange on top of salad.

Yummy dressing!

Not going to lie.. I made what should have been servings, but totally ate all of it.  No shame.  No guilt.