A chicken salad has to be one of the easiest and most versatile dishes to make. It literally calls on your creativity to build it, based on what kind of salad you’re craving. My Chicken Salad with Grapes was born out of my need to use-up a heap of sweet, green grapes I had in my fridge. And I didn’t just chop and drop them in the salad. I roasted them.
Why roasted grapes are better
This Chicken Salad with Grapes hits differently because when these cool, jade-green orbs of sweetness are roasted, they give up a lot of water which concentrates the sugars, taking on a golden blush, almost like juicy raisins. I drizzled them with a little olive oil and a light sprinkle of salt, a savoury kiss which somehow made their sweetness even more pleasurable on the tongue. They were tossed with spiced chicken, cool cucumbers, creamy walnuts and peppery rocket. So every mouthful had a sweet bubble to bite into.
Pan-fried chicken instead of boiled/poached
Unlike the classic chicken salad, my Chicken Salad with Grapes did not have any poached / steamed / boiled chicken. I wanted to add a hint of heat and smokiness to the dish. So I flavoured my chicken thighs in a marinade of garlic, paprika, ground cumin, red chilli powder and oregano for a few hours (even 1 hour is enough). And I pan-fried them in olive oil to get a nice char on the outside, which added a smoky aroma to the bird. Cooking the protein this way added another dimension of flavour and texture to the salad.
The dressing
With so many sweet, savoury, nutty flavours present in this Chicken With Grapes, I kept the dressing very simple. I seasoned the salad with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and lightly drizzled a balsamic reduction on top. A balsamic reduction is nothing but a cheffy name for balsamic vinegar that has been boiled down to a pourable, syrup consistency. It is sweet and tangy. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar at home, you can skip it altogether and the salad will taste just as good. Kokum syrup or pomegranate molasses, if you happen to have either, would make good substitutes, but like I said, this Chicken Salad With Grapes is delicious, nutritious and filling on its own.
Chicken Salad with Grapes
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, lightly scored on top
- 300 g sweet, green/purple, seedless table grapes
- 50 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 medium Persian cucumber, cut lengthwise and sliced into semi circles
- A handful of rocket leaves, washed and dried
- 200 ml balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for pan frying the chicken)
- 1½ tsp olive oil for roasting grapes
- Freshly grated black pepper
- Salt
Marinade for the chicken
- ½ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic, grated
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder (cayenne)
- ¼ tsp cumin powder (jeera)
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- Salt
- A few drops of olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, add the chicken breasts and coat well on all sides. Refrigerate for at least an hour or more.
- Heat the oven to 180℃. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, Toss the grapes in 1½ tsp olive oil and salt. Spread the grapes on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes till the grapes are lightly golden and a little shrivelled in appearance.
- Place the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, stirring intermittently till it has reduced by nearly half to a syrupy consistency. Cool.
- Heat a pan on low heat and toss in the walnuts. Toast them for a couple of minutes, taking care not to burn them. Cool.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the same pan on medium heat. Place the chicken breasts and let them char and cook for 3-4 mins on each side undisturbed till they're cooked through. Their internal temperature should be 74℃. Remove from the pan, cool a little and slice.
- To construct the salad, place the chicken slices in a single layer on a platter, followed by the cucumbers. Scatter the the grapes and walnuts around evenly, followed by the rocket. Lightly sprinkle a little salt and freshly ground pepper to season the salad. Finally, drizzle the salad with the balsamic reduction and serve.