This is a Casey original, and it has become one of our favorite dishes of the summer. Ideally, it’s made ahead of time so that everything can chill and the flavors can meld. It’s a perfect light main dish for a hot evening. Serve it with a green salad for a complete meal that is simple, satisfying and won’t cause you to overheat while you eat!
Start by roasting a chicken and your beets. No need to peel ahead of time — just scrub clean; chop into quarters; and then roast covered at 375° until they are tender all the way through (test by poking them with a paring knife). Put cooked beets in fridge to cool.
As far as the chicken, we usually just throw a chicken breast in the pan with the beets and roast it at the same time, but sometimes we deliberately plan this meal after we’re planning to roast a whole chicken and know we’ll have leftovers. Either way, it’s good.
Once your beets and chicken are cooled, the skins should be easy to remove with your hands and a pairing knife. Chop beets into large bite-sized pieces and chicken into smaller pieces. Mix together with finely chopped sweet onion and then toss everything with a creamy dressing of equal parts mayonnaise and plain yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, top with or stir in a liberal amount of croutons (we make our own from leftover stale bread). The crunch of the croutons is an essential element of this salad!
