Buvette Warm Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6

 

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• One 3-to-4-pound chicken
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds (note from Pat: I despise fennel, so I leave these out, but thought I should include in the recipe, for the sake of those who like the anise/licorice flavor)
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, but don't be stingy!
  

For the Dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• ½ teaspoon minced thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

• 12 ounces baby new potatoes
• 6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and halved
• 2 endives, sliced into 1-inch pieces*
  
• 1 head Bibb lettuce, leaves roughly torn*
• 1 head frisée, stem removed and leaves roughly torn*
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced

 

*I use whatever greens I have, even if it is a bag of Spring Mix from the store.

Directions

1.     Make the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°. Tie the legs of the chicken together at the ankles with butcher's twine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and rub with the olive oil, ground fennel and herbes de Provence. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and an internal temperature of 165° is reached, 55 to 60 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Roughly chop the breast, thigh and leg meat, keeping the skin on, and transfer to a bowl. Discard the carcass** and pour the pan drippings over the chicken.

2.     Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the salt and pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

3.     Prepare the salad: In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and transfer to a bowl, slicing in half lengthwise once cool enough to handle. To the pot of boiling water, add the green beans and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath to transfer the green beans to after they are cooked. Once cool, drain the green beans and set aside.

4.     In a large bowl, toss the endive, Bibb lettuce, frisée and radishes with ¼ cup of the dressing. Lay out on a platter; toss the potatoes and green beans with another ¼ cup of the dressing and scatter on top of the lettuce. Top the salad with chopped chicken and serve.

** Do not discard the carcass!!! These are the words of the original recipe, not mine! Make chicken broth!  Make soup!

You can make the chicken -- and really even the potatoes and beans -- ahead, but do warm them up for serving, because part of what makes this so enjoyable is the contrast of the warm food and the cold, crisp food! The vinaigrette is also useful for just about any salad. And of course, you can add or exchange just about any veggies, such as sugar snap peas for green beans. 

You can even use a store-bought rotisserie chicken if you really have to, but it won't taste as good! The Herbes de Provence on this just makes it really yummy.