How to Prepare Meat to Use in Salads

You can make a balanced meal by adding chicken to pasta salad.

Meats such as chicken, turkey, ham and beef can be added to enhance the flavor and texture of salads like the Caesar, Cobb, taco and pasta. Meat also adds protein to salads, important to consider when consuming salads as part of a weight-reduction plan. Because meat served on salads is generally warm or cold, it must be cooked, stored and handled properly to prevent food-borne illnesses.

Things You'll Need

• Meat thermometer

Instructions

1. Rub the meat with crushed garlic, salt and pepper, and let it sit for at least one hour before cooking. Meat flavor can also be enhanced by soaking it overnight in a marinade. You can make a quick meat marinate by mixing soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Marinated meat must be placed in a covered dish in the refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination.

2. Pan sear your piece of meat by placing it in a heated, oiled frying pan and cook on both sides for approximately three minutes each. Check meat readiness with a meat thermometer. Poultry is considered safe to consume when the internal temperature reaches and holds at 165 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. Beef is considered safe to consume when the internal temperature reaches and holds at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. Pan searing can be is the fastest way to prepare flattened pieces of meat such as chicken breast or steak.

3. Bake large pieces of beef, lamb, ham and whole birds in the oven. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place marinated meat in the oven in a covered meat dish. After the meat has baked without interruption for 20 minutes, check meat readiness periodically with a meat thermometer. Baste the meat with its juices every time you open the oven to check the temperature.

4. Slice your cooked meat into portions for serving. Meat cuts such as chicken breast and steak can be placed on top of a salad, sliced or served whole on the side.

5. Store sliced and whole meat in covered containers for next-day use. To prepare meat for refrigeration, cool the meat to 70 degrees Fahrenheit within 2 hours. The National Restaurant Association recommends using your meat thermometer and cooling meat from 70 degrees Fahrenheit down to to 41 degrees within the next 4 hours, and then refrigerating the meat. If you are unable to consume the meat or properly cool the meat within 6 hours, it is safest to throw it away.

References

• University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Making Main Dish Salads Using MyPyramid Food Groups
• "Food and Wine Magazine": The Juicy Secret to Seasoning Meat
• Familydoctor.org: Nutrition: How to Make Healthier Food Choices
• Wegmans: Pan Searing Meat
• USDA: Food Safety Education
• Servsafe Coursebook; National Restaurant Association; 2008