After serving us a whole book on salads, Mindy Fox turns her attention to what's in a bird with The Perfectly Roasted Chicken (Kyle Books, June 2013, paperback edition).
She's not breaking the salad spell completely as salads (with chicken) have their place in the book.
CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD with GOLDEN RAISINS, LIME, and HONEY
Raisins, lime, and honey create a sweet-tangy chutney
flavor that plays nicely with the curry in this Indian-inspired salad.
Whether under a tree in the park or around the table in cooler months, I
love to serve this dish picnic-style, with good crackers and little
gourmet bites from a cheese shop or olive bar. It’s also tasty stuffed into
a whole-wheat pita, or rolled up in crisp lettuce
leaves.
1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow
onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely
chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely
chopped garlic
1 tablespoon curry
powder
11/2
teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground
cumin
4 cups small shreds
roast chicken*
41/2
tablespoons mayonnaise
31/2
tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh
lime juice
2 teaspoons mild
floral honey,
like orange blossom
1/4
cup plus 1 tablespoon golden raisins
1 box good-quality
crackers
Gourmet bites (see
Box)
*From 1 (31/2–
to 4-pound) bird
Heat the oil in a
12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic,
and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened,
about 10 minutes. Add the curry, salt, and cumin; stir to combine and cook 1
minute more. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
Transfer to a large
bowl and let cool for a few minutes, then add the mayonnaise, yogurt,
lime juice, and honey; stir to thoroughly combine.
Stir
in the raisins. Serve with the crackers and gourmet bites.
A simple hunt for gourmet bites
Good cheese shops and supermarket
olive bars are filled with treasures (sold by the pound
or jarred) that can be quickly partnered with a simple
chicken salad to create an impressive picnic spread. Look for
crackers studded with dried olives or flavorful seeds, like fennel
or caraway; stuffed grape leaves; roasted red peppers or
sweet-hot peppadews; your favorite olives; and a mix of sweet or
spicy pickled okra, green beans, carrots, and beets, and
a few cornichons, or kosher dills.
(* Recipe from 'The Perfectly Roasted Chicken' by Mindy Fox, published by Kyle Books, June 2013- photography by Ellen Silverman)