Bulgur Salad Cups with Grilled Chicken

Since coming out of my surgery a few weeks ago I’ve been on a serious health kick. It’s helped with my recovery time and maintaining a steady weight while not being able to be to active. When I made these Bulgur Wheat Salad Cups with Turmeric Grilled Chicken, it brought back a ton of my memories from my sous chef days in St. Louis. We used to make a tasty wild rice salad that used basmati rice, wild rice, bulgur wheat, and barley, but, man, it was so time consuming to make it because all of those tasty grains needed to be cooked and cooled separately. Yeah, it took awhile. I wanted to make something similar but without all of the hassle! When making this recipe you can go all vegetarian and leave off the chicken, but you will lose a considerable amount of protein and a wonderful flavor combo with the bulgur wheat rice salad.  If I were you, I’d do it, but I understand if you don’t. Start by marinating the chicken in a seasoning blend of turmeric, ginger, paprika, cumin, coriander seeds, salt, and pepper. I always say the longer the better, but if time is of the essence, then I give you permission to grill right away. However, if you do have time to marinate, let it sit overnight or 6 to 8 hours. More marinating time equals more flavor. Bob’s Red Mill provides two great bulgur wheat options, one in red and one that is golden. Both are extremely similar in flavor, so I chose the red bulgur. The difference between red and golden is that the red is a hard red wheat and the golden is a soft white wheat. If you aren’t familiar with bulgur, don’t be terrified of the word, it’s simply wheat that has been parboiled and cracked.  Bulgur has a nice subtle flavor that has hints of nuts, which makes it perfect in this salad or any salad for that matter. Cooking it is very similar to white rice, bring it to a boil with water, place on a lid and simmer for 12 minutes. Now to load this salad up with tasty ingredients. I love the combinations of sweet, tart, and salty, so I folded in some small diced onions, celery, granny smith apples, gala apples, and dried cherries. Honestly at this point, it’s so tasty that you don’t even need the balsamic vinaigrette I put on it, but this is a lettuce cup and I want the vinaigrette to dress the butter leaf lettuce as well. Remember, it’s all about getting as much flavor as possible when you take a bite of everything at the same time. The great thing about this recipe is that the bulgur wheat salad holds really well in the refrigerator, which will allow you to eat these cups for a couple days or serve it a party later in the day. Another option would be for you to simply fold in the chicken after it’s cooked if you want it to be easier to serve. This is a tasty recipe that is loaded with flavor and health benefits. Somehow, some way, even my three-year old likes these, maybe it’s just the dried cherries :).

Bulgur Wheat Salad Cups with Turmeric Grilled Chicken

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp cracked Coriander Seeds
• ½ tsp Paprika
• ¼ tsp ground Ginger
• ½ tsp ground Turmeric
• Kosher Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste

For the Salad:

• 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Red Bulgur Wheat
• 3 cups Water
• 1 cup Yellow Onion, small diced
• 1 cup Celery, small diced
• 1 small Granny Smith Apple, small diced
• 1 small Gala Apple, small diced
• 1 cup of dried Cherries
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Basil
• ½ cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Leaves from 2 heads of Butter Leaf Lettuce
• Kosher Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste

Makes 15 lettuce cups Preheat the grill to high heat. Chicken: Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl and marinate overnight or cook immediately. Cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked throughout. Slice and set aside. Bulgur: Combine the bulgur and water in a medium size pot and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, place on a lid and simmer for 12 minutes or until finished. Drain any water and place in the refrigerator until it is completely chilled. Once the bulgur is chilled add it to a bowl along with the diced onion, celery, apples, dried cherries, fresh basil, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and pepper until combined. Next, place a small amount in a butter leaf lettuce cup along with sliced grilled chicken Optional balsamic vinaigrette dressing recipe: whisk together ½ small diced shallot, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/3 cup of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover!

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef, and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions, and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC, and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!