This is an unusual smoked chicken salad that can be adapted to use whatever vegetables are in season. Yesterday I used red peppers, sweet potato, aubergine, fennel, red onion and asparagus as they are all looking fantastic at the moment. During the winter months I’ll use parsnip, beetroot, butternut, celeriac and yellow onions. This would also make a great vegan recipe too if you leave out the smoked chicken and bulk up the veg.
I used the following quantities yesterday to make a light lunch for 4 people.
A smoked chicken (flesh removed from the carcass, I used both breasts and a little of the leg meat. The rest I saved for another salad).
Half a large aubergine
Half a bunch of asparagus
Half a large sweet potato
One large bulb of fennel
2 red onions
A large red pepper
6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
- Cut all the veg into good bite size pieces and put everything except the sweet potato and asparagus in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the finely chopped garlic cloves. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Veggies cut into big bite size pieces are roasted in the oven
- After about 20 minutes add the sweet potato and then after another 5 minutes, the asparagus and cook for another 15 minutes until everything is tender and slightly charred but still retains a bit of bite.
Sweet potato and asparagus goes in the pan a bit later as they take less time to cook
When your veggies are roasted and ready, just gently stir in the smoked chicken to warm. You can pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Take your pan out of the oven and gently pour over this dressing. You can make this in advance and have it ready to go.
The ingredients for the lightly curried coconut dressing
2 finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon of English mustard powder
1 teaspoon of medium heat curry powder
One and half tablespoons of white wine/cider vinegar
150ml of coconut milk
50ml plain oil (corn oil, grapeseed or similar)
Seasoning to taste
Mix all the ingredients together and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Stir gently to combine, sprinkle over the chopped flat leaf parsley and serve with a fresh green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the juices.
This recipe was inspired by Monica Galetti’s Monica’s Kitchen recipe book which uses winter veg.
Tip from Le Tasting Room. Don’t throw away the smoked chicken carcass. Break it up and put into a saucepan with your fennel ends, an onion left unpeeled and cut into 4 and a bay leaf. If you have a carrot in the fridge, pop one in. Cover with cold water and bring the boil. Simmer gently for at least a couple of hours and you will have a wonderful smoky stock that you can use in a soup or sauce.
A delicious smoky chicken stock in the making
