Chicken Salad Recipe

This salad recipe given here is slightly on the spicy side but combines the best of both worlds - the zing of fresh coriander, lean chicken and crunchy fresh vegetables, all on a bed of colorful pasta.

To make this attractive chicken salad you will need -

1 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, skinned.
Half a cup of French beans
3 firm ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into cubes
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cups multicolored pasta of choice (penne, farfel ... or whatever is your `Fancy of the day').

1 green chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste.

Put the oil in a hot pan and seal the chicken breasts. Let them cook for about ten minutes, till they are all cooked and lightly browned. Remove and cut into strips. Chop the French Beans into 1 inch lengths and cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Refresh in cold water to retain the color.

Cook the pasta in a large pan with lots of boiling water. When done, rinse and keep aside. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, curry powder, chili, garlic, and chopped coriander. Mix well. Then add the chicken strips and let it stand for about half an hour. Next, put the pasta in a large bowl and toss well with beans and tomatoes. Pour the mixture of chicken and sauce over this. Serve cool, with slices of French bread.

Lightly cooked spicy chicken tastes wonderful with slightly roasted nuts, peanuts or hazelnuts. The softness of the meat offsets the crunchy, nutty flavor very well. Perhaps that is why Thai cuisine use nuts so often in chicken dishes.

4 chicken breasts skinned and boned

Spices for chicken:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder (or ground turmeric)
1 tsp lime juice
1 red pepper, seeded and cubed
1 celery stick, finely sliced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 and ½ cup pasta (of choice)
For the dressing:
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp whole mustard
Mixed Salad leaves

Mix together the spices and coat the chicken breasts. Cover with a film and leave in a cool place for some hours. Grill the chicken at 200 degrees C, for about 20 minutes. Then cut into an inch cubes. Cook the pasta, drain and rinse in cold water. Let it cool by itself.

After a while, in the bowl of cooled pasta, put the red pepper, chopped celery, shallots and the peanuts and mix well. In a smaller bowl, combine the dressing ingredients - honey, mustard, lime juice together and pour over the pasta mixture. In a salad bowl or dish arrange the salad greens as a bed and put in the pasta mixture. On top of this, arrange the spicy chicken cubes.

It is a refreshing change but a bit high on the fat content, unless one uses low at ingredients.

For this recipe, you need:

2 cups of diced, cooked chicken
½ cup sliced celery
½ cup of green grapes seeded and sliced (or go for seedless grapes)
½ cup peeled, cubed peaches

½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream 
Salt for seasoning

Mix together the mayo, sour cream, keep in a cool place. Then mix together the fruits and chicken pieces. Pour the dressing on this mixture and toss well. Add seasoning to taste. Keep in a cool place till serving.