Wing's recipes always sound delicious and look delectable. (No, there's not really any difference.) I am jealous, and though I have questioned the copyright issue before, I will now try to mimic him. Lynn and I had some chicken (shredded dark meat) leftover from making chicken soup for Passover. We had made another of Cook's Illustrated's mayo-less (heresy!) chicken salads before, so we knew we were in for a treat.
Chicken Salad with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
From Cook's Illustrated
3 - 3 1/2 pound whole chicken (we used leftover boiled and shredded dark meat from making soup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 additional tablespoon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , drained, rinsed, and minced
1 small clove garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon, we used about double this, like usual)
1/2 pound asparagus , trimmed of tough ends and cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped fresh basil
3 ounces crumbled goat cheese (optional, Lee used, Lynn didn't)
1/2 cup pine nuts , toasted (Lee used, Lynn didn't)
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375-degree oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165 to 170 degrees, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. When cool, pull the meat off the bones in 2-inch shreds, discarding fat and sinew. Reserve 5 cups for this recipe; set the rest aside for another use. (The chicken can be roasted, shredded, and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.) (As I've now said three times, we skipped this and used leftover chicken from making soup a few days before.)
- Puree 1/2 cup oil, vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. (Dressing may be made ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated overnight. Whisk to recombine before using.)
- Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until beginning to smoke; add asparagus, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook until asparagus is browned and almost tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to plate to cool.
- Add cooled asparagus and basil to vinaigrette; stir to combine. Add chicken and toss gently to combine; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and sprinkle with goat cheese, if using, and pine nuts. Serve immediately.
Lessons the Feigenbaums learned while making this:
- Not all great chicken salads need be drenched in mayonnaise.
- It's best to have twice the needed asparagus on hand; this becomes useful when the lid on the spice container with the pepper is too loose and you dump the entire container of pepper into the sauteeing asparagus and need to start over.
- Thumbs-up to goat cheese.
- Thumbs-up to toasted pine nuts. Most "recipes" for toasting pine nuts recommend using a bit of oil and a small skillet. I just tossed them in the toaster over and hit "toast," and it worked fine.
- I need more practice taking food photos. This one isn't bad, but the sauce was a bit redder than the picture shows.
