4 chicken breast halves (or enough to have 5 cups cubed, cooked chicken)
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup vinaigrette, homemade or high-quality purchased
Lettuce leaves for serving
4 medium tomatoes, quartered, for garnish
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise, homemade or high-quality purchased
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons celery seed
Poach chicken in boiling, salted water. When it is cool enough to handle, remove any bones, skin and visible fat and cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. If you are using leftover chicken, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes, using just white meat or a combination of dark and white meat.
Put the chicken and celery in a large bowl and sprinkle with the vinaigrette. Chill for 1 hour or more.
To make the dressing: In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and celery seed.
Pour the dressing over the chicken and celery, and toss gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 8 hours.
When ready to serve, line a serving bowl or platter with lettuce leaves, turn the chicken salad out onto the leaves and garnish with the tomato quarters. Serves six to eight.
Source: "Chicken Salad" by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books, 2003; $18.95).
Best Chicken Salad No One Remembers Eating
6 chicken breast halves
3 cups chicken stock, homemade or purchased
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 dried mild chilies, preferably ancho or New Mexico, stemmed and seeded
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
11/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, diced
1/2 cup chopped, roasted mild green chili, preferably New Mexico or Anaheim, fresh, frozen or canned
1/2 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, diced
2 small tomatoes, preferably Roma or Italian plum, diced
2 Hass avocados, cubed
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Lettuce leaves for servings
In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, combine the chicken, stock, tomatoes, dried chilies, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Poach the chicken in the liquid for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set it aside until cool enough to handle. Discard the bay leaf.
Transfer the cooking liquid to a blender in batches and puree. Return the liquid to the pan and simmer on medium heat for 35 to 45 minutes, until reduced to about 11/2 cups. Add the oil and vinegar to the reduced sauce to make a dressing. Remove any bones, skin and visible fat from the chicken and shred or cube it. Place it in a glass dish.
Pour about 2/3 of the dressing over the chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain the chicken of any remaining dressing. Mix the chicken with the chickpeas.
Arrange the chicken mixture on a decorative platter. Scatter the cheese, chopped chili, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, avocados and cilantro over the salad attractively and drizzle some of the remaining dressing on the top. Tuck lettuce leaves around the platter and serve.
Serves six to eight.
Source: "Chicken Salad" by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books, 2003; $18.95).
Citrus Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
1 pound smoked deli chicken, thickly sliced, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 or 2 firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Lettuce leaves for serving
1 star fruit (carambola), cut horizontally into 1/4-inch slices for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated onion
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seed
Place the chicken, mango cubes and mandarin orange sections in a large bowl. Sprinkle the avocado cubes with lemon juice and add them to the bowl.
To make the dressing, in a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, dry mustard and salt. Stir in the grated onion and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, whisking until smooth. Gradually beat in the oil and the remaining vinegar. Add the poppy seed. Whisk until the dressing is smooth. You may also make this in a jar. Cover the jar and shake well before using.
Pour 1/2 cup of the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss gently but thoroughly. Add more dressing if the salad seems dry. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves.
Mound the salad on the platter and garnish with slices of star fruit, if desired, and the toasted almonds.
Another attractive presentation is to serve the salad in hollowed-out avocado shells. Serves six to eight.
Source: Adapted from "Chicken Salad" by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books, 2003; $18.95).
1 bunch green onions, chopped, with part of the green tops
12 ounces vermicelli or other very thin pasta, cooked and drained
1/2 cup sesame seed, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish, toasted
1/4 pound snow peas, fresh or frozen, trimmed and blanched
1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced (optional)
1/4 cup unsalted cashews (optional)
Romaine lettuce leaves for serving
Dressing:
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame-seed paste; see notes)
3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari (see notes)
1 tablespoon hot chili oil
1/4 cup safflower oil
Poach chicken breasts in boiling, salted water. When cool enough to handle, remove any bones, skin and fat and cut the breasts into 3/8-inch strips.
Place the strips in a large bowl. Add the green onions, vermicelli and 1/3 cup of the sesame seed. Toss gently.
To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, tamari and hot chili oil. Slowly add the safflower oil, whisking well as you pour.
Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss gently but thoroughly. (This is easily done with your hands.) Refrigerate the salad for up to 24 hours.
Just before serving, gently mix in the snow peas and the optional water chestnuts and cashews.
Place the romaine on a large shallow platter and turn the salad out onto the lettuce. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds. Serves eight to 10.
Editor's note: Tahini can be found in the import or organic sections of most supermarkets. Tamari is a thicker, more intense Japanese version of soy sauce. Both tamari and hot chili oil can be found in the Asian section of the supermarket.
Source: "Chicken Salad" by Barbara Lauterbach (Chronicle Books, 2003; $18.95).
