Voici la boule!
The Best Chicken Salad
Yield 4 servings
Time 20 minutes, plus 2 hours' resting and 4 hours'
chilling
The secret here isn’t in the seasonings (though the
tarragon and sour cream make it pretty wonderful) but in the texture of the
chicken, described as “plush” by the chef Barbara Tropp in her “China Moon”
cookbook. She incorporated Chinese methods and flavors to her cooking,
including this foolproof method for poaching chicken breasts without
overcooking. It makes a chicken salad that’s perfect for sandwiches (especially
on dark rye or sourdough breads) or scooped onto a lettuce-lined plate with
sliced radishes, tomatoes, crackers, grapes or all of the above.
The chicken breasts used here must be bone-in, but you
can remove the skin if you prefer. The skin and bones flavor the cooking
liquid, providing a bonus of several pints of chicken stock.
Ingredients
About 4 pounds
bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 scallions,
cut into thirds
¼ teaspoon
black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
⅔ cup
mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s, Best Foods or homemade
¼ cup sour
cream or crème fraîche, more to taste
½ teaspoon
Dijon mustard or 1 teaspoon brine from a jar of pickles, optional
2 or 3 pale
green celery ribs, cut into medium (1/4-inch) dice
½ cup minced
onion or finely sliced scallion, optional
½ cup walnut or
pecan halves, broken into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons
chopped fresh tarragon, parsley, or chives, plus extra for garnish
Salt and ground
black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Choose a heavy pot or Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid.
It should be large enough to hold the chicken snugly, but not much bigger. Fill pot about 2/3 full with cold water, but
don’t put the chicken in yet. Boil some extra water in a teakettle.
Add scallions and peppercorns to water, cover and bring
to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and
slip chicken pieces into the hot water. If needed, add boiling water from the
kettle to cover chicken with water by 2 inches. Replace the lid and let chicken
rest in the hot water for about 2 hours.
Do not turn the flame back on: The pot will retain enough heat to cook
chicken thoroughly and safely. (To test,
cut into 1 piece of chicken and check the meat near the bone. If it is still pink, return the pot to low
heat, bring the water to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes more.)
Lift chicken out of the pot. Remove and discard bones,
skin and fat. Pat the meat dry with paper towels, then cut or shred into small
bite-size pieces and transfer to a bowl. (Meanwhile, simmer cooking liquid
until tasty, strain and refrigerate or freeze to use as chicken stock.)
In a bowl, whisk together juice of 1/2 lemon, mayonnaise
and sour cream. If using, whisk in
mustard or brine. Taste and adjust the
seasonings and thickness to your liking. Pour over chicken, scraping the bowl clean
with a rubber spatula.
Add celery, onion if using, nuts, herbs and salt and
pepper. Toss gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.
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