Grilled-Chicken-and-Asparagus Salad with Parsley Pesto

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
2. 1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3. Salt
4. Fresh-ground black pepper
5. 1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and discarded
6. 1 clove garlic
7. 2 tablespoons water
8. 1 1/2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves
9. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
10. 3 heads Bibb lettuce (about 1 1/2 pounds in all), torn into bite size pieces (about 4 1/2 quarts)

1. Light the grill or heat the broiler. Coat the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grill or broil the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes more. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces.
2. Toss the asparagus spears with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grill or broil the asparagus, turning occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes, depending on the width of the spears. Cut the spears into 2-inch lengths.
3. In a blender, combine the garlic, water, parsley, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Puree until smooth, scraping down the side of the blender with a spatula as necessary.
4. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, toss the lettuce, chicken, and asparagus with half the vinaigrette. Put the salad on plates. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salads.