Italian Summer Supper Salad with Chicken

Originally devised as a way to use up day-old bread, this bread and tomato salad—called panzanella in Italy—is best made with ripe, juicy summer tomatoes. It doesn’t usually contain chicken, but adding it turns a side dish into a meal.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

FUNCTION: Poultry

CLOSED POT TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

RELEASE: Natural

SERVES: 6

• 1 whole 2½- to 3-pound chicken, skinned
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups 1-inch cubes of Italian country bread, toasted*
• 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 English cucumber, halved and cut into ½-inch-thick slices**
• ½ red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• Black pepper
• 20 large basil leaves, torn
• Parmesan shavings (optional)

PREP

Rub outside of chicken with the ¼ cup oil; sprinkle with thyme and sage. Place the trivet in the pot. Pour the water into the Instant Pot®. Place chicken on trivet. Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve.

COOK

Select poultry and adjust to 45 minutes cooking time. When cooking is complete, use a natural release to depressurize. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly.

SERVE

While chicken cooks, in a large salad bowl combine toasted bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid combine vinegar, garlic, and the ⅓ cup olive oil.

When chicken is warm but not hot, use two forks to pull meat from bones into large bite-size pieces. Add chicken to bowl; toss gently. Shake dressing vigorously and drizzle over all ingredients in bowl. Season salad with the salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently.

Sprinkle basil over top of salad. If desired, top with Parmesan shavings. Enjoy salad warm or at room temperature.

*Tip: To toast the bread, toss the cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a 275°F oven for about 20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Let cool completely before using.

**Tip: Long, thin English cucumbers (also called hothouse cucumbers) are considered seedless and most often come wrapped in plastic to prevent them from drying out.