CHARLIE BIRD’S FARRO SALAD
cb’s farro salad right from the comfort of your own home
2 servings, 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 cup farro
1 butternut squash or 2 sweet potato, skin removed/peeled and cut into ¼-½ cubed pieces
1/4 cup pecorino or vegan parmesan
1/4 cup pistachios
2 sliced radishes
1/4 cup chopped herbs (preferably mint or basil)
1 cup arugula
Salt
Black Pepper
Chicken:
2 chicken breast, skin on
2 tsp, dried thyme
2 tsp, dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black Pepper
Olive oil
Dressing:
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
The Blistered Peppers Take:
I know I say this a lot, but Farro is such an underrated ingredient. And I’ll take it one step further, it gets a bad reputation in that people think it’s hard to cook with. It isn’t! Some people will say you need to soak it in water. Some will say you need to clean it. I’m telling you, it’s just like rice. Easy to use, and so versatile. This is why this salad from the infamous Charlie Bird restaurant is being recreated by home cooks all over the map. That and put this dressing on anything and it’s delish!
Charlie Bird has become somewhat of a downtown NYC staple. Their food is fresh and simple and whenever I leave I’m inspired to recreate what I just ate. Normally that’s impossible. You can never outdo your restaurant faves, nor should you! But, when I had this salad (like everyone else) I couldn’t wait to go there again to have it. Naturally during lockdown, I had to figure out a way to make it my own, from home!
And so this is a meal that you just have to dump, chop, and stir and other than cooking the chicken and farro, you’ll be eating in no time (grab a rotisserie chicken from your favorite place and you can cut down even more on prep time!). I recommend you toss and eat right away, because wilted lettuce is not my jam. But feel free to make the salad ahead, keep the dressing separate and you’ve got yourself an easy, healthy, and delicious lunch or dinner.
Add the proteins you like, change up the herbs, and let me know how you like it. Send me your pics and tag me on social. Enjoy!
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the skin from the potatoes or butternut squash. Cut into small ¼ inch cube like pieces. Place the veggies on a large baking dish, dress with olive oil, salt, pepper and mix well. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Using a baking dish (or sheet if thats all you got), season the chicken breast with thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper. Roast the breast for 30 minutes. Once cool, slice the chicken 1/2 inch thick.
Meanwhile, prep the farro - using a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, make the farro. Bring the liquid and farro to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Some cook the farro with a dash of apple cider vinegar, I prefer to add it as a sort of dressing - see below for more details.
While the farro is cooking, use a Mandolin to slice the radishes and cheese (or thinly slice with your favorite knife or cheese grate) and chop up your herbs.
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and a little bit of salt and pepper.
In a large salad bowl, add the potatoes/squash, farro, cheese, pistachios, radishes, herbs, and arugula. Toss with the apple cider dressing. Serve the salad and place the sliced chicken breast on the side or on top of the farro salad.
