Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 3/4 cup mixed pitted deli olives, sliced
• 1 pinch of red chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Black pepper to taste
• Endive lettuce for appetizer boats, or chopped to add to the salad
• Butter lettuce for lettuce cups
• Fusilli pasta, about 1/4 pound dry for one batch of the salad

Directions

1. Stir the minced onion and vinegar together in a bowl, then leave it to sit while you get everything else going. The vinegar gives the onion a quick mellowing, which is a small step that helps a lot.
2. Bring 1 1/2 quarts of water to a boil, then stir in about 2 tablespoons of salt. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise in half, add them to the water, and turn the heat down to low. Cook the chicken very gently, with the water barely bubbling, for 10-15 minutes, just until it is cooked through.
3. As the chicken cooks, add the olive oil, capers, olives, chile flakes, and oregano to a large bowl and stir them together.
4. When the chicken is ready, transfer it to a cutting board and let it cool. Add the vinegar-soaked onions to the bowl with the olive mixture. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice it or pull it into shreds.
5. Fold the chicken and parsley into the olive mixture with a light hand. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then serve it warm, at room temperature, or chilled.