Spring chicken salad

Description:

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless free-range chicken breasts
100ml white wine
1 small onion, halved
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
6 black pepper corns
16 baby carrots, trimmed
150g podded baby broad beans
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed
small handful fresh chives, trimmed
5-6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves stripped
1level tbsp baby capers, drained

For the vinaigrette
3 tbsp olive oil
2 good teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/3 squeeze of lemon juice
1 clove new season’s garlic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1½ tsp caster sugar
½ tsp flaked sea salt
black pepper

Method:

Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan and pour over the wine. Add 200ml cold water, the onion, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns. Place over a moderate heat, cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Poach the chicken for 10 minutes.

Strain the chicken and liquor through a fine sieve, reserving the stock. Set the chicken on a board to cool and pour the stock into a clean pan. Bring to the boil, drop in the podded beans. Return to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in a sieve under running water until cold before draining them. Cook the carrots now for 5 minutes. Refresh and drain them.

Squeeze all the beans out of their shells and place in a large serving bowl. Add the carrots. Trim the fennel and cut into wafer thin slices. Add to the bowl along with the whole chives, tarragon and capers. Scatter in the roughly chopped curly parsley leaves.

Tear the chicken into long shreds and scatter over the salad.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients, except the oil, together in a small bowl. Then add it bit by bit until thickened. Season with salt and a couple of twists of ground black pepper.

Dribble the dressing over the salad and toss lightly just before serving.





Back to Recipes Home