Top | Grains

Bulgur Salad with Tarragon & Chicken

(recipe, Jennifer Meier)

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Introduction

Before making this salad, I'd only ever had bulgur in tabbouleh. Hidden beneath all that refreshing parsley and lemon, it seemed like a grain that wasn't overly heavy. What I didn't realize was that bulgur comes in three forms: fine grain, medium grain and course grain. The bulgur I'd had in tabbouleh was fine grain. What I bought for this salad ended up being course grain. The course grain is heavier and puffs up a bit. Still tasty, but not as light. You can use either fine or course grain for this salad. The sweet, anise flavor of tarragon goes well with the nutty flavor of the bulgur and the capers give the dish a little kick. Chicken turns the salad into a meal and also coaxes my meat lovin' husband into eating whole grains.

Ingredients

1. 1½ cups bulgur
2. 1 lb. of chicken breasts
3. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
4. 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
5. ½ tsp. sea salt
6. ¼ tsp. mustard, yellow or dijon
7. 1 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon
8. 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped capers

Steps

1. For fine grain bulgur: soak for 15-30 minutes in 3 cups cold water. Drain excess water.
2. For course grain bulgur (like Bob's Red Mill bulgur): Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add bulgur and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender and slightly chewy.
3. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper and grill until cooked through. Slice into bite-sized pieces and add to bulgur.
4. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and mustard. Mix into bulgur. Add tarragon and capers and additional salt to taste.