Chicken Pear Gorgonzola Salad!!!

Doesn't that look delicious and fall-like??

What you'll need for 2 salads:

2 grilled chicken breasts

Salad greens (Romaine & Butter lettuce)

5 strips of bacon

2 Bartlett pears

1/2 cup hazelnuts (toasted & chopped)

2 shallots (chopped)

crumbled gorgonzola

Dressing:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp good balsamic

kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 clove garlic (chopped)

*Note:  glass of white wine is for drinking while cooking.

*Note #2:  bread was just to eat with the salad when finished!

First, slowly cook up the bacon - then drain on paper towels for the end.  You'll want to crumble it into the salad when adding everything else!

Toast up the hazelnuts over medium-low heat.  Keep them moving so they don't burn!  This also helps release the "paper skins."

Assemble the dressing:  measure out the olive oil and balsamic, then add chopped garlic and S&P.

Yum!  Nice and toasty - place them on a plate to cool a bit. 

Wait a minute!  We had 5 slices of bacon in that pan..... TAZZY???  Just kidding.  You only need 4... but when cooking bacon, always make a slice for the cook to eat.  You know you are going to do it, so just plan ahead!   :)

When you can handle them, rub off as much of the brown "paper skin" as possible.  It is ok if some doesn't come off!  Then give them a rough chop and set aside.

Remove the peal and core from each pear - then slice or chop!  Now we are ready to put this salad together!

Start with both types of greens on the plate - an even mix of both.  Finally, add in the chopped shallots, chopped hazelnuts, sliced/chopped pears - at this point I gave the dressing another quick stir.  Add to the salad and finish with crumbled gorgonzola, bacon and sliced grilled chicken!  I had a tiny bit of dressing leftover - so the chicken got a dash too.  Last thing is a bit of extra cracked black pepper!

So so so yummy!  I love these flavors all together!  Hope you make this easy & hearty salad!