Food & Wine

Delicious chicken salad recipe

Smoked chicken salad

Blanche Clark with Himanshu Sharda

Posted March 10, 2022

Whether it’s a quick family meal or a leisurely weekend lunch, this smoky chicken salad gives you a taste of what’s on offer at Healesville’s hottest new restaurant.

Take your chicken salad to the next level with Cajun spice and, if you dare, some smoky eucalyptus flavours. This recipe comes from the Yarra Valley’s newest foodie destination, Riddell’s Green. The  alfresco sports bar at Healesville Country Club & Resort boasts unrivalled views of the Michael Clayton designed 18-hole course and surrounding bushland. 

Executive Chef Himanshu Sharda’s new menu is a fusion of South American and Australian flavours. This warm smoked chicken salad is served with a “green goddess” dressing that is loaded with fresh, herbal flavours. Along with two roughly chopped baby gem lettuces, you can add any other seasonal vegetables if you make this salad at home.

Use chicken supreme, which is a boneless, skin-on chicken breast, and cook it to juicy perfection. If you’re unable to source eucalyptus leaves, use twigs of rosemary instead. And, if smoking is too much of bother, just pan fry the marinated chicken for your salad, and come to Riddell’s Green to try the real thing.

As they say Spanish-speaking South American countries, Buen provecho!

Smoked chicken salad

The Smoked Chicken Salad at Healesville Country Club & Resort incorporates pickled radish and asparagus. Image: supplied.

 

Warm smoked chicken salad

Serves

2

Time to make

60 min

Difficulty

Moderate

Ingredients

  • 2 pieces of chicken supreme (no bone) 
  • 15g cajun spice
  • 2tsp English Breakfast tea leaves
  • 10ml olive oil
  • 50ml lemon juice
  • 10 eucalyptus leaves
  • 2 baby gem lettuces for salad

Green goddess dressing

  • 100g Greek yoghurt
  • 100g mayonnaise
  • 15g flat parsley
  • 15g chives
  • 15g dill
  • 15g mint leaves
  • 15g capers
  • 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
  • 10ml olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to tast

Method

  1. Mix Cajun spice and olive oil together and add chicken breasts to marinate. Set aside.
  2. If you are going to smoke the chicken, you’ll need a smoking oven, or a baking tray and rack set to use on the stove top.  Otherwise you can skip steps 3-7, and go straight to cooking the marinated chicken in the oven.
  3. For the smoking, mix the tea leaves, lemon juice and eucalyptus leaves, and pour into the base of the oven tray.
  4. Insert wire rack and place chicken breast on top, with skin facing down.
  5. Cover the tray with foil so the chicken is sealed inside. Put the tray on a low heat on the stove top for five minutes to create smoke.
  6. Take the tray off the heat and rest chicken to absorb the flavours from the hot smoke. 
  7. Let the chicken cool. If you are going to make the salad later, refrigerate the chicken and come back to step 8 when you are ready.
  8. Heat the oven to 180°C and cook the chicken skin side up on a shallow tray for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked. If the chicken has been smoked first, it won’t take too long to cook and should be quite juicy.
  9. For the green goddess dressing, blend all the ingredients together.
  10. Roughly chop two baby gem lettuces and place in a bowl along with any other seasonal vegetables you like. 
  11. Drizzle the green goddess dressing over the salad.
  12. Toss and add seasoning to taste. 
  13. Arrange salad on a plate and top with sliced smoked chicken.

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