Got leftover chicken? Chicken salad with fresh herbs

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Last Friday, in a fit of domesticity, I roasted a lovely, plump, free range, organic chicken. I prepared it the way I usually do - by rubbing a mixture of garlic, lemon zest, chopped fresh rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt under the skin, brushing it with olive oil and sprinkling it with salt and pepper. Although I find the experience of sliding my fingers under another animal's skin both unsettling and oddly satisfying, it does make for a more flavorful bird...

Not surprisingly, after two yummy dinners of roast chicken with new potatoes and carrots, there were some leftovers to be disposed of. I picked the bones clean and simmered the chicken carcass (mmm, carcass...) with some herbs and veggies to make stock which I froze
using this method for handy use in future cooking. And I made a tasty chicken salad with the leftover meat and some fresh herbs I had on hand.

Chicken salad with fresh herbs

The basic recipe is below. We were all out of both curry powder and garam masala at the time but had we had some on hand, I would probably have made this a more overtly curried chicken salad**.
I have left out the amounts as they will vary based on how much chicken you have to work with as well as your preferences for consistency, taste, etc. If in doubt, start with a small amount of yogurt/mayo, onion, and spices so that you can taste and adjust as needed. Remember, you can always add more of any given ingredient if you need to but it is awfully hard to "take back" anything once you've added too much.

Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

* Roasted or boiled chicken, cut into pieces or shredded
* Plain yogurt and/or mayonnaise (this is up to you - some people hate mayo and some love it - you can use one or the other or combine the two)
* Minced onion, shallot or scallions (use whichever you prefer or have on hand)
* Dried currants (you can also use raisins if you prefer but you may want to chop them a little)
* Fresh parsley, washed, dried and chopped
* Fresh fennel, washed, dried and chopped
* Fresh cilantro, washed, dried and chopped
* Ground cumin and/or coriander
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

** If you want to make this a curried chicken salad, try adding curry powder or garam masala and chopping up some green apple to add sweetness or mix in a little mango chutney or apricot jam if you don't have any apple available.

Directions

1. Combine the chicken, onion, herbs, currants with the yogurt/mayo and mix to combine.

2. Taste to see if the consistency and flavors are to your liking and add more yogurt/mayo if needed.

3. Season with the salt, pepper and ground spices and taste again. Adjust by adding more of whatever is lacking as needed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mmmm what a tasty salad idea! Since I can't have mayo or yogurt, I would whip up mustard, lemon juice, and the meat of an avocado in the blender together to use as the sauce with this. Deeelish. :)

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Got leftover chicken? Chicken salad with fresh herbs

Last Friday, in a fit of domesticity, I roasted a lovely, plump, free range, organic chicken. I prepared it the way I usually do - by rubbing a mixture of garlic, lemon zest, chopped fresh rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt under the skin, brushing it with olive oil and sprinkling it with salt and pepper. Although I find the experience of sliding my fingers under another animal's skin both unsettling and oddly satisfying, it does make for a more flavorful bird...

Not surprisingly, after two yummy dinners of roast chicken with new potatoes and carrots, there were some leftovers to be disposed of. I picked the bones clean and simmered the chicken carcass (mmm, carcass...) with some herbs and veggies to make stock which I froze
using this method for handy use in future cooking. And I made a tasty chicken salad with the leftover meat and some fresh herbs I had on hand.

Chicken salad with fresh herbs

The basic recipe is below. We were all out of both curry powder and garam masala at the time but had we had some on hand, I would probably have made this a more overtly curried chicken salad**.
I have left out the amounts as they will vary based on how much chicken you have to work with as well as your preferences for consistency, taste, etc. If in doubt, start with a small amount of yogurt/mayo, onion, and spices so that you can taste and adjust as needed. Remember, you can always add more of any given ingredient if you need to but it is awfully hard to "take back" anything once you've added too much.

Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

* Roasted or boiled chicken, cut into pieces or shredded
* Plain yogurt and/or mayonnaise (this is up to you - some people hate mayo and some love it - you can use one or the other or combine the two)
* Minced onion, shallot or scallions (use whichever you prefer or have on hand)
* Dried currants (you can also use raisins if you prefer but you may want to chop them a little)
* Fresh parsley, washed, dried and chopped
* Fresh fennel, washed, dried and chopped
* Fresh cilantro, washed, dried and chopped
* Ground cumin and/or coriander
* Sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

** If you want to make this a curried chicken salad, try adding curry powder or garam masala and chopping up some green apple to add sweetness or mix in a little mango chutney or apricot jam if you don't have any apple available.

Directions

1. Combine the chicken, onion, herbs, currants with the yogurt/mayo and mix to combine.

2. Taste to see if the consistency and flavors are to your liking and add more yogurt/mayo if needed.

3. Season with the salt, pepper and ground spices and taste again. Adjust by adding more of whatever is lacking as needed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mmmm what a tasty salad idea! Since I can't have mayo or yogurt, I would whip up mustard, lemon juice, and the meat of an avocado in the blender together to use as the sauce with this. Deeelish. :)