Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Chicken salad with pecans and pancetta




I'm obsessed with pancetta at the moment. Salty pig strips can only ever be a good, addictive thing. Even when they are referred to as "salty pig strips". It isn't the main event in this recipe but it adds a wonderful luxuriously salty note to what otherwise is quite a subtly flavoured salad. I've adapted this from an Emeril Lagasse recipe:

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 bag of mixed salad leaves (the lazy, and therefore best, way)
6 slices pancetta, chopped into small strips
2 chicken breasts, poached and chopped into bitesize chunks
1 clove peeled garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
Salt and black pepper
1 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
A handful chopped fresh parsley
A couple of pinches of chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 cup whole pecans

Heat a frying pan on high heat and add the pancetta. There's no need to add any oil - the pancetta, as it frys, will render down and become crispy and golden. Once it is cooked to your liking, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

In a large bowl, add the cooked chicken breast chunks, the garlic, the celery, red onion, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, parsley, tarragon and pecans. Add a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning.

Split the salad leaves between two plates, spoon over the chicken mixture and top with the pancetta.



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