Comments are closed.
Roasted Chicken Salad with Walnut & Pistachio Vinaigrette
It’s a new BIG bowl salad, friends!! And this one makes my mouth water every time I think about it. Nutty and crunchy and fresh and filling, layered with golden brown roasted chicken (spatchcock-style!! It cooks in 45 minutes with gloriously juicy meat and crispy skin) and fried shallots. Inspired by my memories of the Roasted Chicken Salad at the Faena Miami Hotel, let’s get in the kitchen and go on vacation!
Roasted Chicken Salad with Walnut & Pistachio Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
4-5lb whole chicken
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
½ cup olive oil, plus 3 tbsp
6 shallots, thinly sliced
2 heads red butter lettuce, washed, dried and torn
½ cup flat leaf parsley, leaves torn
½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Walnut & Pistachio Vinaigrette:
½ cup pistachios
½ cup walnuts
2 lemons, juiced
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, grated
Sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions:
•Pre-heat oven to 425F.
•Use sturdy kitchen shears to snip along both sides of the chicken backbone to remove, allowing the bird to spread open. Turn breast side up, and use the heel of your hand to press down hard on the breastplate to flatten. Blot all over with a paper towel to soak up any surface moisture.
•In a small bowl, combine onion powder, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt; mix to combine. Drizzle the bird with 3 tablespoons of olive oil before rubbing all over with spices, being sure to get it under the wings and legs. Allow to sit on the counter 20 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator if you have time. Place on a roasting rack and put in oven, legs first towards the back of the oven where it is hottest. Set timer for 40 minutes.
•Meanwhile, add remaining ½ cup of olive oil and shallots to a shallow pan and gently fry over a medium low heat for 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye in the final five minutes; you want the shallots to be deeply golden brown, but they burn quickly at this point. Remove shallots from the heat to a paper towel lined plate and immediately season with salt. Set aside. Drain oil from the fried shallots into a separate bowl and allow to cool.
•In a food processor or using a chef’s knife, roughly chop the nuts. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, honey, and garlic. Whisk vigorously while slowly drizzling in the reserved shallot oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in your chopped nuts and give it all a quick toss. Set aside.
•After 40 minutes have passed, check the chicken. If using a meat thermometer, temperature at the thickest part of the thigh should register 160F; it will come up to 165F as it rests. Another way to check for doneness is that the juices should run clear at this thickest part of the bird, and the meat should be tender, moist and opaque while the skin is golden brown and crisp all over! Yep, that’s the beauty of spatchcock! Remove chicken from oven and allow to cool slightly. You can pour any chicken drippings that collected in the base of the pan overtop if you like.
•Arrange lettuce & herbs in a salad bowl. Once cool enough to handle, remove chicken meat from the bones and roughly chop or pull apart with your fingers or two forks. Let the meat cool before adding to the salad; if you add it warm, it will wilt the lettuce – which is also delicious. Toss with vinaigrette, then scatter cheese and fried shallots all over the salad right before serving. Enjoy!
COMMENTS