Chicken Salad, Niçoise-Style; the potager

Yes, I know that there is no such thing as Chicken Niçoise Salad.

Salade Niçoise is a classic French recipe which has specific ingredients. It’s not an idea to be interpreted. It has canned, not fresh tuna. It has green beans, not yellow beans. Some of the vegetables are cooked, others are not.

I would never be so bold as to mess with a classic – although I have made, and we do like, this Salad Niçoise, which, I think, is as close as an American expat can get to the original.

But that is not this.

It was going to be, but then mon mari expressed an opinion that the only place tuna belongs is in a sandwich. As I have every intention of making tuna pasta salads and tuna salad stuffed tomatoes and a few other things this summer I decided to acquiesce on this one….

One must chose one’s battles, after all.

We were both happy with this, um, variation.

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Chicken Salad, Niçoise-Style

Print Recipe

I was thinning my purple and green basil and decided the sprouts would be great in a salad. I swirled them in water to clean the roots and sprinkled them on top. Perfect taste of summer!

• Author: Kate
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Salads

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6oz (180gr) green or yellow beans, cut into bite-size pieces
• 10oz (300gr) potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 small-medium)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 avocado, cut into chunks
• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 8 mozzarella balls, cut in half
• big handfull of basil sprouts
• lettuce for 2 main meal salads
• 2 chicken breasts
• Marinade:
• 2 tbs tarragon wine vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• Vinaigrette:
• 4 tbs salad olive oil
• 3 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tbs snipped fresh chives 

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Instructions

• Mix all ingredients for marinade. Spoon over chicken and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
• Cook on barbecue grill until done, 12 – 15 minutes, depending on heat and size of breasts.
• Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Slice.
• Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a medium skillet.
• Add potatoes and sauté until nicely browned, about 15 minutes.
• Remove and set aside. 
• Put beans into a small skillet or saucepan. 
• Add in inch of water, cover and cook on medium heat just until tender, 8 – 10 minutes.
• Drain and set aside.
• Vinaigrette: 
• Whisk vinegar and mustard.
• Slowly whisk in oil and whisk until it emulsifies. 
• Add chives to vinaigrette, whisking to combine.
• To finish: 
• Put lettuce onto a large salad bowl and toss with half of the vinaigrette. 
• Divide into 2 plates or individual salad bowls.
• Arrange half the chicken in the center of each salad.
• Add the beans, avocado, potatoes, tomatoes, and mozzarella around the chicken. 
• Drizzle with a little vinaigrette.
• Sprinkle basil sprouts on top.
• Serve with remaining vinaigrette on the side.

Notes

Substitute regular fresh basil leaves for the sprouts, tearing as needed.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
• Calories: 1013
• Sugar: 13.5 g
• Sodium: 1042.4 mg
• Fat: 63.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 14.4 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 51.4 g
• Fiber: 17.6 g
• Protein: 59.3 g
• Cholesterol: 163.6 mg

Keywords: grilled chicken, salads, main course salads

After a week of hot, dry weather it cooled off and has been rainy.

What a difference a week makes to my potager.

This is what it looked like on June 10, at the beginning of the heat wave:

This is what it looked like 10 days later…. After 7 days in the low 30’s C (90’s F) followed by 2 days of lots of rain and cooler temps:

I’m still amazed every year, even after 10 years of this…..

The seedlings sit there, not growing, for what seems like months until I’m ready to give up and hoe it all under. Then, seemingly overnight, they explode and grow like crazy until I have to go out and stop the madness.

It’s just starting, but in another few days I’ll have to pull the rest of the lettuce and the squashes will cover the earth.

Maybe, just maybe, there will be winter squashes to harvest in another few months. And tomatoes and onions and zucchini….

Once again, we have hope.