Salad On A Stick... Say What?!

The summer has finally arrived and you are once again willing to brave social contact via potluck or picnic. What do you bring? Salad-On-A-Stick! Say WHAT?  If you are like me and still a little leery about potlucks and well COVID, this is a great option to keep hands free from touching utensils. This also lends itself well to camping with a little planning. No one wants to do a bunch of dishes when camping. This takes salad to a finger friendly virtually dish less lunch option.  These are really fun for kids and adult alike. Make a bunch of them, then set them out on a large serving tray with a big bowl of ice underneath. You’ll receive lots of compliments.

You can use regular chicken eggs to make these, but quail eggs are definitely very cute!

Have you ever tried quail eggs? I have and I love them. Turns out they are very nutrient-rich for such small morsels! If you live near a local farm you may find them. Otherwise you can ask your grocer to carry them.

This recipe makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 
  2 large chicken breasts (around 14oz in total)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 2 small garden cucumbers, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 6-8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1-pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 12 boiled quail eggs, halved if desired
• 8-inch bamboo sticks

Instructions:

1. Rub the chicken with sea salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Seat aside on the counter to allow it to reach room temp for about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat an outside grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat.
3. Once the chicken is no longer fridge-cold, place it on your preheated grill or grill pan. Grill for about 6 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and it's cooked through. Set aside on a cutting board and allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.
5. To assemble your skewers, you'll need 8-inch bamboo sticks.
6. Take one skewer and gently thread a slice of cucumber, followed by a cube of cheese, a cherry tomato, some lettuce, a cube of grilled chicken, and then an egg. Repeat with the remaining ingredients as shown.
7. Arrange your Cobb skewers nicely onto a platter and very lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
8. Serve immediately.

If you are planning this for camping, it is helpful to pre-cook the eggs and pre-cut/cook the chicken. Cutting the veggies right before you serve so they are as fresh as possible. You can also add other veggies too. 

Ideas for other additions:

• Smoked Sausage (cut up and pre-cooked)
• Onions (cut into 1.5 - 2 inch square pieces
• Olives
• Pepperonis
• Ham
• Radish
• Crotons