Crispy Chicken Chopped Salad

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel and mince the garlic then, using the flat side of your knife, smash until it resembles a paste. Cut off and discard the root of the lettuce, then roughly chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Mince the chives. Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest. Quarter the lemon and remove the seeds. Small dice the cucumber. Trim off and discard the stems of the green beans, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Cut the radishes into thin wedges.

Fill a medium bowl with ice water and set aside. Add the green beans to the medium pot of boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green and slightly tender. Drain the cooked beans thoroughly and transfer to the bowl of ice water. Let stand until completely cooled, then drain thoroughly. Set aside as you continue cooking.

Place the flour, panko breadcrumbs and half the buttermilk in 3 separate, shallow dishes. Working one at a time, completely coat each chicken piece in the flour (shaking off any excess), then dip in the buttermilk (letting the excess drip off), then coat both sides in panko. Place the coated chicken piece on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high until hot. When the oil is hot enough that a piece of breading immediately sizzles when added to the pan, add the breaded chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, letting the excess oil drip off, and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; season with salt and pepper immediately. Set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

While the chicken cools, in a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, garlic paste, mayonnaise and half the chives. Stir in the juice of 2 lemon wedges and the remaining buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil until combined.

Once the cooked chicken is cool enough to handle, chop into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the radishes, cucumber, lettuce, cooked beans, remaining chives and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped chicken and enough dressing to thoroughly coat the greens (you may have extra dressing); toss gently to mix. To plate your dish, divide the salad between 2 plates and garnish with the remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy!