Cold Chicken And Rice Salad

As the weather starts to get hotter, I look for meals I can serve in the evenings that won't heat up the kitchen and will not overheat my family. This looks like an excellent contender! Precook the chicken the night before when it's cooler in the late evenings to avoid heating up the house, or use chicken you've previously grilled and chilled - fast, simple, healthy!

I would also use some Clean Eating salad dressings found HERE and HERE

( North, you have my permission to leave the olives out of the recipe. )

Ingredients

• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
• 12 green leaf lettuce leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion tops
• 4 lemon wedges 

• Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn chicken over. Place pan in oven; bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Shred chicken, and chill for 30 minutes.
• 3. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray. Spread rice in an even layer in pan; chill for 30 minutes.
• 4. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, juice, and oil in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken, rice, cranberries, and next 5 ingredients (through lettuce) to juice mixture in bowl, and toss gently. Divide the rice mixture evenly among 4 plates, and sprinkle with green onion tops. Serve with lemon wedges.