One of the recipes I cook often is Smoked Chicken (pictured above), and since I’m usually cooking just for myself, that means I have most of a chicken left over. Sometimes it gets reheated with gravy, more often it becomes sandwiches, or it might become the kind of chicken salad served over greens.
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I don’t know where my late wife got this recipe, maybe Sunset magazine. This version of the Chinese restaurant standard was a favorite of hers, partly because of the fun of watching the rice noodles blow up when cooked. In a restaurant the chicken is usually fried but most of us don’t do much deep-frying at home. The salad recipe comes with instructions for poaching chicken, or you could just grab a take-out rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. The recipe is old enough that a “whole chicken breast” meant from a 3-pound chicken, not the 5-pound ones you get now, so adjust the meat to salad ratio accordingly.
Cashew Chicken Salad
2 whole chicken breasts
½ large onion
1 stalk celery
1 sprig parsley
1 carrot, halved lengthwise
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 basket cherry tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes cut up)
½ cup sliced green onions
1 avocado, sliced, drizzled with lemon juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
1 cup cashews
Chinese rice sticks (maifun)
Place chicken, onion, celery and parsley in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Cover pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
Let chicken cool. Bone, skin, and cube it. Broth can be saved for other recipes.
Mix vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and sesame oil in a jar with a tight lid. Cover and shake, then refrigerate.
Tear lettuce into a large salad bowl. Add tomatoes, green onions, avocado (dipped in lemon juice), cilantro, and chicken. If making this for guests you can do this ahead; cover with damp paper towels and refrigerate.
Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet until very hot. Cook rice sticks a few at a time until you have at least 2 cups. Guests love to watch this!
Add dressing to salad and toss. Serve individual portions, then sprinkle rice sticks and cashews on top.
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There are infinite variations on the basic American mayonnaise-dressed chicken salad. zenbassoon talked about it just last week and he includes pickles, hot sauce, garlic, and chiles. I like all those things, but not in chicken salad. This is my version and I serve it on sourdough toast.
Chicken Salad (for sandwiches)
serves 3
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup minced celery
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and white pepper
Blend mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.
Combine chicken, green onions, and celery in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper. Mix in the dressing.
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