Making friends with salad

Barbecuing, at its best and most elemental, is about simplicity: fire, food and the ease of the outdoors.

What calls cooks back to the barbecue time and again are the stress-free vibes and peerless flavours that open-air cooking creates.

BBQ Buffalo Chicken Chopped SaladThis dinner salad is a healthy nod to the pub-grub favourite Buffalo wings. The recipe calls for boneless chicken breasts pounded

to an even thickness, grilled and then coated in a spicy, buttery Buffalo wing sauce. You’ll taste a kick, but you won’t break a sweat.

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,

each 175g to 225g

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1 large corn cob, husk and silk removed

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 head Romaine lettuce or 2 cos hearts, cut

crosswise into bite-size strips (about 8 cups)

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced crosswise

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

½ cup baby roma tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives.

Blue Cheese Dressing

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup plain Greek yoghurt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon sea salt

? teaspoon ground

black pepper

? cup crumbled blue cheese (about 40g).

BUFFALO SAUCE

? cup cayenne chilli sauce

30g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon ground black pepper.

METHOD:

• In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the blue cheese until well mixed. Stir in the cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.

• In a small saucepan, stir together all the Buffalo sauce ingredients over low heat on the stove until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Prepare the barbecue for direct cooking over medium heat (180° to 230°C).

• Place the breasts between two large sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy frying pan, pound the breasts to an even 1cm thickness. Divide the Buffalo sauce in two. Reserve half for the salad and use the other half to coat the breasts evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

• Brush the cooking grills clean. Lightly brush the corn with oil. Grill the corn over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until slightly charred and softened a bit, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, grill the chicken over direct medium heat until firm to the touch and opaque in the centre, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.

• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. Lay the corn cob flat on the cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice along the length to remove the kernels, rotating the corn after each cut until all the kernels are removed.

• Combine the corn, lettuce, celery,

carrot and tomatoes in a serving bowl.

Add about ½ cup of the dressing and toss to combine. Mound the chicken in the centre of the salad and drizzle with some of the dressing and Buffalo sauce.

Garnish with the chives and serve with the remaining dressing and sauce on the side.

• Serves 4

• Preparation: 20 min

• BBQ: 10 – 12 min.