Judging by the fact it is popping up on menus, and disappearing from grocery store shelves, farro is becoming the new food trend. Farro is an ancient grain with almost the same exact nutritional properties as quinoa. Farro tastes like a cross between barley and brown rice; it is chewy and has a touch of a nutty taste. It's thicker and heartier than rice. I recently rediscovered farro at the Green City Market benefit where Goddess & Grocer was serving a farro salad. Their salad had blue cheese and radishes, but it planted an idea in my head.
I decided to make a Farro Salad with Goat Cheese, Chicken, and Spinach because those are some of my favorite ingredients. This is the type of recipe that is easy to prepare, can be made in big batches, and can be served hot or cold. Once the farro was cooked, but while it was still hot, I stirred in spinach, and once that wilted I added a touch of olive oil, lemon juice, and some goat cheese. The goat cheese melted and mixed with the olive oil and lemon creating a creamy tangy dressing.
I added shredded chicken to the salad to make it a complete meal, but you could omit it and serve the salad as a side dish. You could easily swap out the tomatoes for asparagus, artichoke, or mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Farro find it near rice at the grocery store
- 1 ½ cups Water
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Shredded Chicken
- 2 cups Baby Spinach
- 1 cup quartered Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup crumbled Goat Cheese
Instructions
- Combine the farro, water, and chicken broth in a medium pot. I use some chicken broth to cook the farro to add some extra flavor, I do the same thing with quinoa. Bring to a simmer and stir in the salt. Let simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the farro is soft, but still chewy.
- Once the farro is cooked, add the spinach and olive oil to the pot with the farro, stir, and cover. After about 2 minutes the spinach will have wilted.
- Add the chicken, lemon juice, and goat cheese to the farro, and stir together until the goat cheese has melted.
- Toss in the tomatoes and transfer to a bowl to serve.
- Either serve warm right away, or refrigerate and serve chilled.
