Salad of chicken, cherries and watercress with creamy tarragon dressing
A gloriously summery, elegant salad. You can make this with cold, leftover roast chicken if you prefer – it does mean it’s quicker to put together – but it’s worth poaching breasts for it, too. Tear the cherries when you pit them rather than cutting them, as the raw edges look better.
Ingrediënten
FOR THE SALAD
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 400 ml 14fl oz chicken stock
- 500 g 1lb 2oz ripe cherries, pitted
- 200 g 7oz watercress
- 50 g 1¾oz shelled pistachios, very roughly chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- smidgen of Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
- 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil fruity rather than bitter or grassy
- 2 tbsp double cream
- chopped leaves from 5 sprigs of tarragon
- 1½ tsp caster sugar or to taste
Instructies
- Put the chicken into a saucepan (in which it can lie in a single layer) and cover with the stock.
- Heat until it just comes to the boil, then reduce the heat until the stock is gently simmering.
- Allow the chicken to poach in this until it is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- (You can check that the chicken is cooked by piercing it with the tip of a very sharp knife, the juices should run clear, with no trace of pink.
- ) Leave the chicken to cool; it stays nice and moist if it sits in its cooking liquor.
- (The stock isn’t needed for this recipe, but keep it for something else.
- )
- To make the dressing, mix the vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper in a cup or small bowl.
- Whisk in the oil, 1½ tbsp of water and the cream.
- Add the tarragon and sugar, then mix and taste.
- You may want to adjust the seasoning or the sweetness.
- The consistency should be that of single cream.
- This dressing improves while it sits (the tarragon flavour gets stronger) so cover and leave it to sit for 30 minutes or so.
- Drain the chicken and cut it into neat slices – or tear it, if you prefer – and gently toss with the cherries, watercress, pistachios and dressing.
- Serve straight away.
