Chicken Salad With Two Dressings

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 cooked skinless chicken breasts
• 10 ounces mixed salad greens (a pillow pack, which is about 300g)
• 8 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1 medium red onion, sweet
• 1/2 cup pecans (do not break them up)
• 16 grape tomatoes, red-ripe (about 1/2lb or 250 g)
• 20 pieces mozzarella cheese, bite-sized cubes cut from a block (or use the better-quality mozzarella balls, drained)
• coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup (4 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar or 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 -3 tablespoons fresh basil, very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt, preferably flaky sea salt

Recipe

• 1 use any cooked or roasted breasts, but not strongly seasoned ones. i poached mine in chicken broth.
• 2 make the vinaigrettes first, which will take you only minutes. can be made the day before.
• 3 whisk ingredients for vinaigrette 1 in a mixing bowl, cover, and leave. can be left at room temperature.
• 4 whisk the ingredients for vinaigrette 2 in the same way, but beat a little longer to help sugar dissolve. you could also do this in a blender although the quantity is small.
• 5 to serve:.
• 6 arrange a small heap of mixed lettuces, torn up if necessary, on each of 4 large plates.
• 7 cut the chicken breasts in thick slices against the grain, and arrange a cut breast neatly on each heap of lettuce.
• 8 sprinkle equal quantities (about 2 teaspoons each) of capers over each breast.
• 9 clean, peel, and then slice the onion thinly. cut onion rounds again, to form half moons. arrange some over each chicken portion.
• 10 arrange the pecans on the salads. (i first roasted them in a hot pan to crisp them).
• 11 cut each grape tomato in half (if large, not if very small) and prepare the mozzarella. toss the tomatoes and mozzarella balls (or cubes) in a bowl with enough of vinaigrette 2 (the basil vinaigrette!).
• 12 arrange these tossed tomatoes and mozzarella next to, but slightly separate from, the chicken salad.
• 13 finally, drizzle enough vinaigrette 1 over the chicken stacks, making sure it penetrates to the lettuce below.
• 14 you will have vinaigrettes left over. keep it or put in a small jug on the table, but add more of the basil dressing (v. 2) to the cheese and tomatoes on each plate before serving, using a teaspoon to distribute.
• 15 serve as suggested in intro. put a little container of flaky sea salt like maldon on the table, with breads and wine.
• 16 *cook's note: i made vinaigrette no 1 with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, but suggested less syrup here for the average taste. if your maple syrup is the real thing and quite thin, you might want to use my original 2 tablespoons. it is supposed to be slightly sweet, to contrast with the relative sharpness of the basil one. use your judgment. it's also an amazing discovery: it does not separate at all, and would be absolutely great with cold roast lamb as well.