Saffron Chicken & Herb Salad
Saffron Chicken & Herb Salad is a unique and explosive combination of flavors --- I guarantee it's like no other chicken salad you've ever had!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and very thinly sliced
- handful of cilantro leaves
- handful of basil leaves, torn, if large
- smaller handful mint leaves, torn if large
- 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 hot chile pepper, preferably red, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven to 400F
- Slice off both ends of the orange, and then cut into 12 wedges. Remove any seeds. Put the wedges, peel and all, into a small saucepan with the honey, saffron, and vinegar. Add just enough water to cover the oranges. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour, or until it is reduced to a thick syrup. Add a bit more water during cooking if it gets too dry. Use a food processor or immersion blender to puree the mixture into a smooth 'sauce', adding a little more water if is too thick to pour.
- Meanwhile rub the chicken breasts with half the oil, and salt and pepper. Brown on both sides on a hot grill pan for 2 minutes per side, or until you get good grill marks. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until just done inside.
- Cool the chicken until you can handle it and then tear it into large bite sized pieces. Put the chicken in a large salad bowl and toss with some of the orange paste. I used enough to lightly coat the chicken. (You won't need all of the sauce.)
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, including the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil Toss gently.
- Season with salt and pepper and taste to adjust any of the seasonings.
Notes
- As I mentioned, I think you can get away with using a fresh rotisserie chicken with good results here and save yourself some work.
- The saffron orange sauce is potent, start with a little and add more to your taste. You'll have some leftover, especially if you use a large orange like I did. Ottolenghi recommends using it on fish.
- Be sure to slice the fennel super thinly, I used the thinnest setting on my mandoline slicer.
Nutrition
Calories: 184 kcal · Carbohydrates: 12 g · Protein: 10 g · Fat: 11 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 39 mg · Sodium: 85 mg · Potassium: 498 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 9 g · Vitamin A: 239 IU · Vitamin C: 34 mg · Calcium: 55 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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