Chicken Salad Four Ways
Mis en Place:
5 chicken breasts, skin on, bone in
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lemon, juiced and zest removed
1 bouquet garni (rosemary, thyme, chives, tarragon, tied together with butcher’s twine)
4 cups water, stock, wine, dashi, or other flavorful liquid, recently boiled and very hot
A Note on Braising:
There are many ways to prepare chicken breast: roasting, grilling, pan searing, steaming, poaching, and braising, among many others. However, when you are making chicken salad from the chicken, I think you have to consider the final texture and flavor of the meat. Even though grilling, roasting and searing create a ton of flavors, hard edges and crisp chicken bits can be surprising in a bad way. You don’t want people to think they have gotten a bit of bone.
I choose to braise my chicken breasts because it adds so much chicken flavor and the texture is always tender, juicy, and even throughout. You start by browning the chicken, then you finish cooking the chicken partially submerged in a braising liquid at a low temperature over a longer period of time and the result is the perfect chicken breast. The cooking vessel and size you use are both important choices.
Your pan needs to be big enough to fit all your chicken and then only submerge 2/3 of the chicken when all the liquid is added. This is called braising.
-If your pot is too big, you will need to add more liquid to submerge 2/3 of the chicken, diluting the flavor and requiring more seasoning or reduction for sauce making.
-If your pot is too small the chicken will be crowded and the liquid will likely cover the chicken completely, which is not good, either. That’s poaching and it is good, too, but…
Braising adds more flavor than poaching because it is searing, roasting, boiling, and steaming all in one and that is why I like it with otherwise neutral tasting chicken breast.
I used a 3.5 quart dutch oven for this recipe. You want a wide bottom and shorter sides for the pot, as opposed to a saucepan of the same volume.
Procedure:
Clean and pat dry chicken breasts and season well on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder while you heat 4 tbsp of oil in a 3.5-4 quart pot with a good fitting lid over medium high heat. Brown chicken breast(s) on both sides, starting skin-side down, about 3 minutes per side, 6 minutes total. Do not crowd the pan for this step. Brown the chicken in batches if necessary.
Remove the chicken and add herbs, lemon zest and juice, and just enough liquid deglaze the pan, about 1 cup.
Deglaze completely and add the chicken back into the pan skin-side down and add the rest of the hot liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a bare simmer. There should be almost no bubbling, just a little trouble beneath the surface.
Cook gently, with the lid on, for 15-20 minutes or until thickest part of breast reaches 160F / 71C. Carryover heat will push the chicken the last few degrees to the safe temperature for chicken of 165F / 74C.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken sit in the liquid with the lid on for 10-15 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through.
Remove the chicken from the liquid and place on a rack to cool completely. This gentle cooking method will ensure juicy, tender chicken every time and around a quart of stock as a bonus!
Strain and de-fat the braising stock and reserve or freeze for later use.
Once the chicken is cool, debone it and remove skin, feeling carefully for bits of rib bones, the wish bone, etc. and discard with the skin. Separating the breast meat and the tender is very easy at this point and it will not be gross. This is the last chance you get to make sure the chicken is pristine so go carefully.
The cooked chicken breast can be torn by hand, shredded with two forks, cut into big chunks or small cubes, chopped, etc., whatever works best for your final product.
Making a bouquet garni:
Gather together the herbs you want to use. Cut enough string to wrap around the bouquet three times.
Place the string on the countertop, parallel to the edge and lay the herbs in a small pile perpendicular to the string. Bring up the string and tie one knot.
Wrap the string around the bouquet again and do a double knot to secure everything. That’s it!
Classic Chicken Salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp pickle juice
1 tbsp red onion, minced
3 tbsp celery, diced
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Curried Waldorf Chicken Salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp celery, diced
2 tbsp apples, diced (crisp & tart apple)
2 tbsp grapes, black seedless, halved
Deviled Chicken Salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp spicy pickle juice
1 tbsp chipotle peppers
1 tbsp red onions
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp sweet corn
1 tsp chili flake for garnish
1 tsp paprika for garnish
Sesame Chicken Salad
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp mandarin segments, halved
2 tbsp water chestnuts