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Delicious seasonal recipes from the Post Food team.

Chicken Spiedie Salad With Grilled Bread. (Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

By Becky Krystal

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Hi, everyone. We’re at the start of a long holiday weekend, thanks to Memorial Day on Monday. I hope the weather is going to be nice where you’re sitting. It’s opening day for our neighborhood pool, but the weather in Washington looks to be a doozy (chilly, rainy, generally unpleasant).

That’s a shame, because I was also looking forward to all the sounds and smells of the inevitable cookouts that herald the unofficial start of summer. (Then again, devoted grillmasters don’t let a little rain dampen their fun.) This great American tradition looks different depending on where you are, and that’s one of the things I love about it. Drop into a gathering at any park, Ruritan club, beach or campsite, and you’ll likely find some kind of local specialty among the spread of food.

In this week’s featured recipe, Ellie Krieger celebrates one such regional favorite: the chicken spiedie, a sandwich beloved in the greater Binghamton, New York, area. It consists of marinated, grilled skewers of chicken stuffed into a hoagie roll or Italian bread. There’s even a festival devoted to it, naturally. In her Chicken Spiedie Salad With Grilled Bread, Ellie turns the components into a fun, fresh summer dish.

The meat is still marinated in the classic Italian-dressing-style blend of herbs, olive oil, lemon and vinegar before getting skewered and grilled. But instead of being served in bread, the chicken is set atop a crisp blend of romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion. Don’t worry, there’s still bread, though. It, too, gets grilled until golden. Both the chicken and bread will take well to outdoor or indoor cooking, depending on your weather and equipment. Mine turned out great on the stovetop grill pan — I just recommend opening a window, if you can, to account for the inevitable smoke.

Food writer Jed Portman took us to a different part of the country for another regional specialty: Wichita-Style Garlic Salad. This potent but refreshing coleslaw-adjacent dish came out of the Kansas city’s mid-20th-century supper-club tradition. It’s hardly known outside of Wichita, if that, but it should be. With a mix of creamy and crunchy textures, and rich and sharp flavors, the salad would make a great accompaniment to any kind of grilled meat. Or try eating it the traditional way, as I did, scooped up with buttery crackers. Below you’ll find a few more American regional specialties that would be right at home at your next cookout.

Want to talk about your favorite niche dish, or have a cooking quandary I can help with? I hope you can join me for my next live chat Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern. Submit your questions now, then come on back when I get the conversation started.

Until next week, happy cooking.

Wichita-Style Garlic Salad

(Rey Lopez/For The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky)

The most distinctive dish to come out of Wichita’s mid-century supper clubs, garlic salad is an appetizer or side that eats like a hybrid of coleslaw, party dip and an extra-pungent iceberg wedge.

By Jed Portman

Chicken Spiedie Salad With Grilled Bread

This riff on a classic sandwich from Binghamton, New York, features cubes of grilled meat on a fresh, flavorful salad.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

While calling this a salad might be a bit confusing, this retro dessert is a crowd favorite.

Seattle-Style Hot Dogs

Seattle’s griddled, butterflied dogs, with a topping of cool cream cheese and sautéed onions, are perhaps one of the lesser-known American regional hot dog styles.

Gooey Butter Cake

For decades, gooey butter cake has been a staple in St. Louis, something between a coffee cake and a decadent dessert.

North Carolina Piedmont Slaw

In most of the South, coleslaw serves as a cooling contrast to the heat of barbecue sauce, but Piedmont slaw is, in effect, made with barbecue sauce.

Recipe of the Week

(Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

Chicken Spiedie Salad With Grilled Bread

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

Save or print the recipe

Make ahead: The chicken needs to marinate for 2 to 12 hours. You will need eight (8-to-10-inch) wooden skewers, which must be soaked in water for 20 minutes.

Storage: Refrigerate the cooked chicken for up to 4 days.

Servings: 4

Active time: 1 hour

Total time: 3 hours, including marinating time

Ingredients

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons), divided, plus more as needed
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon honey
3 garlic cloves, peeled, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces Italian bread (from 1 small or 1/2 large loaf), halved lengthwise
1 to 2 romaine lettuce hearts (about 11 ounces), cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large ripe tomato (10 ounces), cored and cut into wedges
1/2 large cucumber (6 ounces total), thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (cut into half-moons)

Steps

1. In a medium bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together 2/3 cup of the oil, the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons each of the lemon juice and vinegar, the basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and honey. Transfer 1/3 cup of the mixture to a small container and reserve it to use as the salad dressing.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice and vinegar to the remaining marinade. Crush and coarsely chop 2 of the garlic cloves and add them to the marinade with the crushed red pepper flakes. Place the chicken into a sealable bag or container. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to combine. Transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

3. Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. Divide the chicken evenly among the skewers. Discard the remaining marinade.

4. Brush the cut sides of each piece of bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

5. Prepare the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, set it to 450 degrees. If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal, light it, and when the coals are white-gray with ash, pour them onto the charcoal grate, adding more charcoal, if necessary. Put the lid on the grill, making sure the vents are fully open. When all of the coals are gray and hot, about 15 minutes, your grill should be at medium-high heat. (Use a grill thermometer, or test the heat by holding your hand, palm down, about 4 inches from the grate, making sure that nothing flammable, such as clothing, is near the heat. If you can hold it there for about 4 seconds, the heat should be at medium, or about 450 degrees. Pull your hand away from the heat before it gets painful.) Make sure the cooking grates are clean, then use tongs to dip a folded paper towel in oil and lightly apply a thin layer all over the grill grates.

6. Alternatively, to cook the chicken on the stove, preheat a large grill pan over medium-high heat.

7. Place the chicken skewers onto the grill or grill pan and cook for 5 minutes (working in batches as needed on the grill pan), then flip and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, or until grill marks form and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat reads 165 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest for 5 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, place the bread onto the grill or grill pan, oiled side down, and cook until it is toasted and grill marks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cutting board. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub it over the top of each piece of the bread. Then cut each piece in half crosswise so you have 4 pieces of toasted bread.

9. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, basil and onion with the reserved dressing. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and black pepper, as needed.

10. Divide the salad among plates, set the chicken skewers on top and serve, with the toasted bread alongside.

From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger. Tested by Becky Krystal.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 542; Total Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 125 mg; Sodium: 553 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 5 g; Protein: 46 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas:

White wine vinegar >> distilled white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Prefer more or less heat? >> Adjust the crushed red pepper flakes accordingly.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts >> boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Romaine >> other crunchy lettuce.
Instead of a large tomato >> use cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, if desired.
Red onion >> yellow or white onion, or shallot.
To make this gluten-free >> use gluten-free bread.
Don’t feel like making the marinade? >> Use your favorite store-bought Italian dressing.