Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad. Also known as the ultimate dinner salad that’s anything but boring. Loaded with rosemary seasoned chicken, sweet summer corn, peaches, greens, and avocado, and tossed with a tangy extra virgin olive oil bacon vinaigrette. This is quickly going to become your new favorite salad, it surely is mine.

overhead photo of Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette with peaches and basil in photo

I think you can all probably see the theme for this week’s recipes… all things end of summer produce. Late August is one of the best times of the year to cook using fresh in season produce and pantry staple ingredients for simple, but healthy weeknight cooking. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am loving walking outside my door and over to the greenhouse to pick fresh herbs, tomatoes, and peppers for a seasonal dinner that’s both pretty and delicious.

While I could make countless pizza and pasta recipes with all this great produce, I’m also loving making big salads that are worthy enough to be called dinner.

Today I teamed up with Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil to bring you this colorful salad that’s not only full of protein, veggies, and healthy extra virgin olive oil, but is also simply delicious.

This salad is perfect for both lunch and dinner and is a great way to use up all the late summer peaches and corn that are overflowing at our farmers markets and produce stands.

overhead photo of corn in skillet

I’ve been using Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a couple of months now and am absolutely loving how easy it is to incorporate into so many recipes. It’s safe to say that I use it daily, it’s my go to oil for all savory recipes, and even some sweet ones too (like this chocolate chip olive oil zucchini banana bread)!

I love that it’s so versatile and an easy way to adjust your cooking and baking onto the healthier side.

overhead photo of raw peaches

One of the flavor combos I’ve been loving so much these last few weeks, but have yet to share with you all, is the combo of olive oil and rosemary. It’s a classic pairing, but one that I’ve not personally experimented with too much.

Which brings me to this simple, but yet complex salad.

overhead close up photo of Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

Let’s talk about the details.

The chicken is tossed simply with olive oil and fresh rosemary. The one herb that I’ve touched the least this summer is rosemary. When I saw the pretty dark green herb was beginning to overtake all the other herbs, I knew it was time to use it up. And with perfect timing too, as I always think of rosemary as a cozier herb fit for late August.

Since I wanted both the extra virgin olive oil and rosemary to shine, I didn’t add any other flavors to the chicken. Rosemary is a super powerful herb, so I love using it as the star flavor. And when paired with a really good extra virgin olive oil, it’s incredibly delicious.

The rest of the salad is a mix of warm caramelized corn, sweet peaches, and plenty of fresh greens. I was going for a heartier salad that would be good for these hot August days, but also cozy enough for those first few nights in September when the weather begins to cool.

I know some of you might not be thinking that far ahead just yet, but don’t worry I’ve got you covered!

close up photo of Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad

For the vinaigrette, I really loved the sound of a salty, tangy vinaigrette, and since I love rosemary, peaches, and bacon together, I went with a slightly untraditional bacon vinaigrette.

Some of you may remember, but I first used a version of this vinaigrette last summer and paired it with heirloom tomatoes. It was delicious then, and it’s just as delicious now when paired with this chicken, corn, and peach salad.

Of course, if you’re not a fan of bacon, you can simply omit it and use an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Either way, this salad will be bursting with fresh flavors and color!

tossing the Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with salad spoons

I’ve made this salad multiple times over the last few weeks, and while I love making this for a quick and easy dinner on weeknights, I’ve also loved serving it to friends and family when they stop by for a meal. It’s one of those salads that really wows people, it’s big, beautiful, and also different.

My one pet peeve about summer recipes is that they can tend to be a little repetitive. Lots of caprese salads, BLT’s, and zucchini noodles. All good things, but let’s change it up a bit!

Bottom line? If you’re at a loss as to what to do with all your corn and peaches, this is your answer!

Ok, now on to something fun – giveaway time!

Savor the last of this summer fruits and veggies with extremely fresh Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Enter your email for your chance to win a year’s supply of their 100% California Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Contest ends 8/29/18 at 11:59pm. Sorry, US residents only. Good luck!

Enter Here.

close up side angle photo of Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #salad #chicken #easyrecipes #summer #corn
Print
4.52 from 82 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

The ultimate dinner salad that's anything but boring. Loaded with rosemary seasoned chicken, sweet summer corn, peaches, greens, and avocado, and tossed with a tangy extra virgin olive oil bacon vinaigrette. This is quickly going to become your new favorite salad!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders (or breast cut into 1 inch thick pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 small shallot, chopped
  • 4 ears corn kernels, removed from cob
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 6 cups mixed salad greens
  • 1 handful fresh basil, roughly torn
  • 1-2 peaches, sliced
  • 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese, feta, or blue cheese
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

Instructions

  1. 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and rosemary, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

    2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear 3-5 minutes per side until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Remove from the skillet.

    3. To the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the shallot and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the corn, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-8 minutes or until the corn has browned lightly and caramelized. Remove from the heat.

    4. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, basil, peaches, chicken, and corn. If using, sprinkle on the cheese. Spoon the bacon vinaigrette overtop (recipe follows), gently tossing to combine. Finish with avocado. Enjoy!

Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

  1. 1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. To the bacon in the skillet, add the vinegar, olive oil, honey, and a pinch each of red pepper, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the warm vinaigrette over the salad.

horizontal photo of Rosemary Chicken, Caramelized Corn, and Peach Salad with Hot Bacon Vinaigrette

{This post is sponsored by Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil . Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!!}