A hearty salad is a perfect meal when the temperature starts to rise. This one is inspired by a salad at a local salad and sandwich shop. During the pandemic, most of my interaction with other people occurred on my patio, with chairs spaced apart. My mother and niece came for lunch one day and we curbsided some salads and ordered “curried chicken salad”. I think we all expected a scoop of chicken salad bound with mayonnaise on a bed of lettuce, but what came was lettuce and that bound chicken salad all chopped up together – this was one of those places that layers all your chosen ingredients in a bowl and goes at it with a giant salad chopper. It was unexpected, but delicious and I decided to make my own version. Rather than a rich, mayonnaise heavy chicken, I use a tandoori-inspired yogurt marinated chicken and lots of interesting toppings all chopped together and dressed with a tangy chutney dressing. The mix of sweet and savory is perfect. I love this salad for a patio meal.
You can pound two regular chicken breasts to four thin cutlest, but I often pie already thin-cut filets. Marinate in the yogurt curry mix, but before broiling, sweep any excess off with your fingers so there is just a light coating. You want some charred, browned spots on the chicken for that tandoori style flavor and I find a probe thermometer really useful for cooking the chicken through. Golden raisins and cashews are my preferred additions, but almonds and dried cranberries or apricots would work. Make sure you treat the apples in the acidulated (lemon) water or they go brown and taste brassy. The spinach and arugula mix layers flavor, but all spinach will work fine.
I use a mezzaluna to chop this – that’s a crescent shaped blade with two handles, but you could also use a “salad chopper” like the device they use in salad bar restaurants. If you have neither of these, chop slowly with a big chefs’ knife. I chop this in stages, making a reasonable pile of greens, topped with some sliced chicken, apple, raisins and nuts and chop it all together then add it to the bowl and keep repeating until all the ingredients are chopped. This way there is some of each ingredient in every bite. Barring all of that, all these elements layered but not finely chopped makes a mighty fine salad.
Curried Chicken Chopped Salad
6
servingsA brilliant chopped salad of yogurt and curry marinated chicken, apple, cashews, golden raisins, arugula and butter lettuce with a chutney vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
5 ounces whole Greek yogurt
6 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 Tablespoons water
4 thin cut chicken breast filets
- For the Chutney Vinaigrette
½ cup Major Grey’s mango chutney
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ cup olive oil
- For the Salad
1 green apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
8 ounces arugula
8 ounces butter lettuce
¼ cup mint leaves
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup salted cashews
Directions
- For the Chicken
- Whisk the yogurt and oil together until smooth in a shallow bowl or airtight container. Add the curry powder, garam masala and turmeric and whisk until smooth and combined. Whisk in the water until smooth and loose. Put each chicken breast in the marinade and turn to cover every surface. Make sure all the chicken is coated with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but up to overnight.
- Preheat the broiler in the oven to high with the rack in the top position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment and spray with cooking spray. Remove the chicken filets from the marinade and use your fingers to sweep of the excess – each piece should just have a light coating of marinade. Place on the prepared pan. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, until the chicken is beginning to brown in places ( a few extra minutes if needed). Use tongs to turn each piece over and cook a further 5 – 8 minutes until browned in places and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove to a plate and cool completely.
- For the Chutney Vinaigrette
- Put the chutney, vinegar and curry powder in the carafe of a blender and puree until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until smooth and creamy. The dressing may be made up to a day ahead and stored covered in the fridge. Whisk or blend again before serving.
- For the Salad
- Put the lemon juice and some water onto a small bowl. Cut the apple into bitesize pieces and drop in the bowl and toss around to prevent browning. Drain before chopping. Cut the chicken into strips. Put a handful of arugula, lettuce and mint on a chopping board. Top with some of the chicken strips, apple pieces, raisins and cashews and chop into small pieces with a curved salad chopper, mezzaluna or large knife. Place in a large salad bowl and continue with the remaining ingredients, about two handfuls at a time, until everything is well chopped. Toss everything together in the bowl to mix the ingredients using tongs or your hands. Right before serving, toss with the vinaigrette.
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