This recipe uses shared flavours for the chicken, tomatoes and dressing that gets soaked up by the bread. A perfectly easy and delightfully tasty summer dish. We love using the other half of the loaf to mop up the salad juices – la scarpetta style!
Serves: 4
Roughly chop the tomatoes into different shapes and sizes. Place in a colander over a mixing bowl and season generously with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Gently toss to coat, and leave to sit for at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally to let all the beautiful tomato juices collect in the mixing bowl below.
Place the sliced shallots in a bowl, add a pinch of salt & a pinch of sugar and pour over the red wine vinegar. Set aside to pickle.
Brush the chicken and ciabatta with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
Heat the BBQ or a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Grill the ciabatta on all sides until golden, remove and set aside. Next, grill the chicken for about 7 – 10 minutes each side until fully cooked and golden. Leave to rest before slicing against the grain.
Remove the colander from on top of the bowl, leaving all the tomato juice in the bottom of the bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard & garlic to the tomato juice and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously until the dressing is emulsified. Add the tomatoes back to the bowl along with the toasted ciabatta, chicken, and half the basil. Toss to coat and let sit for at least 15 minutes until the dressing has been absorbed by the bread.
Transfer to a large serving dish and sprinkle over the pickled shallots & remaining basil before serving.