Easy
4 per.
15 min
Chicken salad is one of the signature dishes of summer, delicious and appetising even on the hottest days. Cold chicken salad is perfect to take to the office for lunch, or to serve at a dinner or buffet-style aperitif. It’s quick and easy to prepare, light and high in protein, and above all, everyone always loves it!
Chicken breast salad can be prepared well in advance and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, making it perfect for evenings when you don’t have time to cook or for a picnic outdoors. There are many recipes for chicken salad, as this dish can be made in a thousand different ways. Today we’re looking at the recipe for salad with chicken breast, but you can also use roast chicken.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for the chicken salad recipe for 4 servings.
500 g chicken breast
100 g celery
100 g cherry tomatoes
Olives, to taste
Lettuce, to taste
100 g Grana Padano shavings
Lemon, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
How to prepare the chicken salad
First, cook the chicken on a griddle pan, then let it cool. When the chicken is cold, cut it into strips.
Wash and dice the celery and cherry tomatoes, then put them in a large bowl with the olives.
Add the chicken and lettuce, the Grana Padano shavings and dress with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
If you like, add a squeeze of lemon too.
Mix the chicken breast salad well until all the ingredients are well combined, and serve cold.
How to dress a simple chicken salad
How do you dress a chicken salad? Extra virgin olive oil emulsified with lemon juice is a very popular option, but if you are looking for another dressing for chicken salad, you are spoilt for choice. There are indeed sauces that add an extra touch of flavour to your chicken salad.
There are many chicken salad recipes, and each has its own dressing. Mayonnaise is very popular with chicken breast in a salad, as it pairs perfectly with the freshness of the vegetables and the flavour of the cold chicken.
If you are looking for a more refined and original taste, you can make a Grana Padano sauce to dress your chicken salads. Don’t worry, it’s really easy to make! Simply heat 200 ml of milk in a small saucepan, add 180 g of grated Grana Padano and mix well until you get a thick cream, which you can use to dress the salad and chicken.
For those who love salsa verde, this is also an excellent dressing for chicken salad. This typical Piedmontese parsley-based sauce gives a lively and refreshing touch to your quick chicken salad.
Plating and Pairings
Chicken salad is the perfect recipe for buffets and aperitifs! This dish is ideal for sharing during a party or a dinner with friends and family, as everyone always likes it, it can be prepared in large quantities and it keeps in the fridge for several days. Serve the chicken salad on a large platter, decorate with a few sprigs of parsley and make sure to provide a spoon with which your guests can serve themselves.
The chicken salad recipe is also great for office lunches. In this case, just bring it with you in an airtight container and dress it at the last minute with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon, so that it doesn’t dry out.
The original chicken salad is not meant to be accompanied by other foods, but there are so many variations and different uses that the beauty of it is experimenting!
Chicken salads can be enriched by adding rice, to make them a complete and satisfying main meal. Otherwise, you can take inspiration from the famous Caesar salad, which also includes bread croutons and Worcestershire sauce.
Variations of chicken salad
There are numerous chicken salad recipes, and everyone can add the ingredients they prefer according to their personal taste. Cold chicken salad is also an excellent “fridge-clearing” recipe, because you can use up leftovers you have at home.
Light chicken salad recipe. Chicken breast salad is ideal for those on a diet, as it is a low-calorie dish but rich in protein. For those who want to watch their waistline, we recommend using only extra virgin olive oil and Grana Padano shavings as a dressing.
When preparing the chicken salad, you can add the vegetables you like best, as they all go really well in this recipe! Carrots, peppers, courgettes, broccoli, green beans… Choose your favourite seasonal vegetable and add it to the classic chicken salad recipe we have shown in this article.
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