Chicken salad is a versatile and balanced one-pot meal that is ideal for a summer lunch, a light dinner or a healthy meal to take to the office. Made with grilled or boiled chicken breast, it pairs with fresh seasonal vegetables, crisp lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn, and can be enriched with ingredients such as olives, avocado, fresh cheese, or cereal.
Seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, lemon or yogurt, it is a complete recipe, rich in protein and low in fat. Find out how to make a tasty, balanced chicken salad, ready in minutes.
1. Place the chicken slices between two sheets of baking paper on a cutting board. Using a meat tenderizer, lightly tap the slices.
2. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Place the chicken slices on the griddle, being careful not to overlap them. Cook the slices until they are completely white without turning them too often to prevent them from breaking during cooking. This process should take about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the slices. After the chicken slices have cooled, cut them into thin strips or cubes.
3. While cooking, add a pinch of salt to the top of the chicken slices. Turn the chicken slices over and cook the other side for the same amount of time, until they show a light browning on the surface. Once cooked, remove the chicken slices from the griddle or skillet using tongs and transfer them to a plate.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: wash and clean the bell bell pepper, remove the seeds and cut them into julienne strips. Peel and cut the carrots into thin sticks, slice the celery and gherkins, stone the olives and chop.
5. Prepare the sauce in a large bowl: mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil until smooth and homogeneous. Pour the prepared sauce over the cut vegetables and chicken strips, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and the vegetables and chicken to absorb the dressing. After the resting time has elapsed, gently toss the chicken salad using a wooden spoon or spatula, making sure to distribute the dressing evenly over all the ingredients. Serve the chicken salad as a side dish or main course, garnishing with fresh parsley leaves or grated lemon peel, if desired.
Tips for making your own chicken salad
The chicken salad recipe is rathersimpleandquick, but some little tips may be helpful to make it even moreflavorfulandtasty:
Before cooking the chicken,let it marinatefor at least 1hour. Asimple marinademade with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and mixed spices will add flavor to the whole.
For aperfect cookingof chicken, make sure that the griddle or frying pan iswell heated. This will cause a crust to form on the surface of the meat, which will not only taste great but also seal all the juices inside.
After cooking,let the chicken cool so it won't fall apart when you cut it.
Choose a variety offresh vegetablesto your liking toenhanceyour salad. Crisp lettuce, sweet tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, julienned carrots and peppers will addcolor and flavorto your chicken salad.
For thedressing, you can mix EVO oil, vinegar (classic or balsamic), fresh spices, and lemon. To make it even yummier, you can add mustard and mayonnaise, indulging yourself with what you have at home.
The importance of a good extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil in the preparation of chicken salad is essential as it adds an extra touch of flavor and freshness to the dish, but not only that:
EVO oil is rich inhealthy monounsaturated fats, which are known to helpreduce bad cholesterol(LDL) in the blood and improveheart health.
The antioxidants inside helpkeep chicken saladfreshlonger.
Extra virgin olive oil is known for itsbeneficial propertiesondigestion. Adding a moderate amount of olive oil to chicken salad can promote digestion and contribute to gastrointestinal well-being.
EVO oil helpsbalance the tasteof chicken salad, helping to better blend the flavors of the various ingredients together.
For the chicken salad recipe, we chose the Farchioni Fruttato Intenso Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is perfect for giving character to the salad, but without covering the flavor of the other ingredients.
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