Chicken Salad with Garlic and Yoghurt

Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes are always delicious and usually vegetarian so I was intrigued by his chicken salad with garlic and yoghurt which I caught sight off in the Guardian. And anyone who has met me twice knows yoghurt, salad and garlic are surefire winners. Plus I am always on the hunt for cooking chicken without drying it out because dry chicken is the stuff of horror movies.

I couldn’t find radicchio even in Waitrose (what a surprise!). Clearly divine punishment because I really should be shopping in Waitrose on my wages; it’s just addictive when you’re a food snob. Instead of the elusive radicchio, I used avocado. Annoyingly I forgot to add Grano Padano (cheap(er) substitute for Parmesan) even though I had it sitting in the fridge waiting for my time of need. I used my own dressing (rapeseed oil and balsamic glaze) because it’s delicious and I didn’t fancy eating raw garlic because I have to got to work tomorrow – or rather I did but decided to rein myself in. I did, however, manage to follow the rest of the recipe (at least what there was left of it).

I was pleased with the texture and flavour of the chicken but it definitely didn’t char attractively in the pan as I was led to believe it should. As you would expect, the rocket, basil, lemon and avocado was an awe-inspiring combination, beautifully topped off by a couple of fresh baby baguettes.

Followed by a Bon Maman Crème Brulee (absolutely heavenly), this made the perfect Wednesday night feast to see me through escaping pikeys on Harpenden Common.

300g Greek yoghurt
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts, skinless
1 very small ciabatta or baguette (100g), torn into 2cm chunks
½ medium radicchio, cut into 2cm slices
35g rocket leaves
30g picked basil leaves
15g grated parmesan
2 tsp green peppercorns in brine, drained

Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. In a large bowl, combine the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, half the oil, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of black pepper. Transfer half the mix to a small bowl and refrigerate. Add the chicken breasts to the large bowl, rub in the yoghurt mix and leave to marinate in the fridge, covered, for two to three hours.

Meanwhile, scatter the bread in a medium ovenproof dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until completely dried out. Set aside to cool and turn off the oven.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, set the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put a ridged griddle pan on a high heat, then sear the chicken breasts for a minute or two on each side, until the skin is well-charred. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and roast for 10-15 minutes, until the breasts are just cooked through. Remove, leave to cool a little, then shred into bite-sized chunks.

To assemble the salad, put the chicken and bread in a large bowl. Pour over the reserved yoghurt sauce, the radicchio, rocket, basil, parmesan, peppercorns and remaining olive oil, stir, taste for seasoning and serve.