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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
2 hours
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Serves
6
Author Notes
Chicken salad, a dish that has seen better days, is now sadly an afterthought in the evolution of American food culture. Often taken not very seriously, these two words bring nothing but memories of quick-lunch buffet counters and half-hearted leftovers. It’s unjust really, because if we could approach it with the same level of fear and respect as we do a piece of prime-rib, chicken salads could be truly amazing. Inspired by cuisines from Yunnan, China, this recipe ditches poaching, where you would lose all the flavor to water that you later dump into the sink. Instead, I incubate the chicken in a low-temp oven to bring its internal temperature slowly up to the optimal, supple 165°F. But we’re not done yet.
The highest form of respect and civility you could pay to the skin of this chicken is to blow torch it (and it would be a crime not to). Torn instead of cut, the pieces present a naturally maximized surface area to retain a simple—but not mindless—dressing that is flavored with the chicken’s own juices. Last but not least, an absurd amount of fresh herbs brings the fragrance needed to make this dish truly refreshing. —Mandy @ Lady and pups
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Hand-Torn Chicken Salad With Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
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2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
whole, free-range chicken
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1 1/2 teaspoons
fine sea salt
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1/2 cup
(125 grams) Greek yogurt
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3 tablespoons
toasted mushroom powder
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1 1/2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
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2 teaspoons
fish sauce
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1 teaspoon
ground white pepper
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2
large (or 3 small) shallots, peeled and finely diced
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1 tablespoon
pickled red chiles, finely chopped
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1 bunch
fresh mint leaves, torn
Directions
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With sharp kitchen shears, remove the wings (keep for stock) and wishbones around the neck opening of the chicken. Then, separate the chicken into two parts. Cut both legs away from the breasts but leave them connected by the back bone/spine. Cut the protruding part of the backbone off (keep for stock, if you’d like), then separate the legs straight down the middle of the backbone. Rub from the inside out with sea salt.
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If you have a sous vide machine, you can transfer the breasts and legs in separate vacuumed bags and proceed according to your sous vide machine instructions (I recommend 150°F/65°C for 1 hour) . Then when done, submerge the bags in iced water to chill completely.
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For those without a sous vide machine, heat the oven on 250°F/120°C, no fan. Wrap both parts of the chicken separately with double-layered aluminum foil, making sure that it hugs the chicken tightly (the legs should be arranged in a single layer) and the seam-sides are facing up so that you don’t lose the liquid during cooking, and make sure that there are no punctures anywhere on the foil. Place the whole thing on the middle rack of the oven. Roast them for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove from the oven and chill them until completely cold, 2 hours in the freezer, or at least 4 hours (or overnight) in the fridge.
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Remove the foil and place the chicken skin-side up on a large tray. You will see pinkish jello on the bottom of the chicken. Do not remove that, and make sure you keep the “jello” stuck on the foil as well. That is pure essence of the chicken. With a blow-torch, start torching the skins of the chicken until every nook and crannies is browned and slightly charred. Turn the chicken over and repeat. (The jello will melt away during this process but just keep it gathered on the tray). Transfer the chicken to another large bowl and reserve 2 tablespoons of the roasted chicken juice.
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In a large bowl, mix together the reserved juice, Greek yogurt, mushroom powder, Dijon mustard, fish sauce and white pepper to create a thick dressing. Add the shallots and pickled chili, and set aside. With your hands, carefully peel the chicken meat from the bone, and tear into pieces about 1 to 2 inches thick.
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For best results, you can prepare all these components beforehands, but do not mix them together until right before serving. Once mixed, this can be served as a stand-alone dish, or it will make a great sandwich.
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