Full of fresh, punchy flavours, this saffron chicken and herb salad is adapted from a recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's wonderful book Jerusalem, the chefs at Ottolenghi in Belgravia.
The salad is tossed in an orange dressing made from a whole orange and it gives the salad the most amazingly zingy flavours.
Towards the end of last year I joined the Borough Market Cookbook Club. Meeting up with other enthusiastic cooks to taste and discuss dishes from a chosen book, washed down with wine - there are worse ways to spend an evening.
On my second visit to the cookbook club, the featured book was Jerusalem by Yoham Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
At the club, we all bring a dish that we have made from the book and get together to taste each other's dishes and discuss the book. After much deliberation, I opted to make the Saffron chicken and herb salad.
The dish was a huge success. The original recipe used 1kg/2¼lbs of chicken which is what I would call a bit excessive, so I have reduced the amount in my recipe. I didnt feel it was necessary to reduce the other ingredients though. I have also adapted the method a little. In the book, the chicken seared on a griddle and then finished cooking the chicken in the oven. I flatten my chicken first so that it cooks quickly and easily on a griddle pan without the need to turn on the oven.
Step by step
Saffron chicken and herb salad
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 50 g honey
- ½ teaspoon saffron strands
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- about 300 ml water
- 6 chicken breasts skinned and boned (about 150g/5oz each)
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
- 2 small fennel bulbs thinly sliced
- 15 g coriander leaves
- 15 g basil leaves torn into pieces
- 15 g mint leaves torn into pieces
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 red chilli thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic crushed sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim and discard 1cm/½in off the top and bottom of the orange and cut into 12 wedges. Place in a small pan with the saffron, honey, vinegar and enough water to just cover the orange wedges.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, at which stage most of the liquid should have evaporated to produce a thick syrup and the orange will be very soft.
- Use a food processor or liquidiser to blitz to a purée, adding am little more water of required.
- Flatten the chicken breast between two sheets of cling film or parchment until about 1cm/ ½in thick. Toss with 2 tablespoon of the oil some a salt and pepper. Cook on a hot griddle pan for about 5 minutes each side or until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to cool slightly, then use two forks to shred the chicken into bitesize pieces. Place in a large bowl with half the orange purée and stir well. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together before serving.
Hannah Cavaciuti says
Hi,
I was just wondering what you would serve this with to make a main course or is it substantial enough alone?
Thanks
Hannah
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi Hanah I think thissalad is substabtial enough to serve on its own, especially in warmer months. If you wanted to serve it with some carbs given its middle Eastern origins I would opt for something like some rice or couscous or but I really dont think you need it. I guess some nice crusty bread would also go rather nicely with it. I hope you enjoy it I think it is delicious.
Mandy says
I love all the flavours you've used here and while I don't eat chicken I can see how it could easily be adapted to a lovely veggie dish
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Oh yes I'm sure you could easily adapt this.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Oooh this sounds delicious and right up my street. You have also indulged in one of my favourite pastimes: simplifying cheffy recipes! I have so many cookbooks and I am so inspired by them, but I usually find the recipes don't really fit into my reality as a busy working mother with very little time to spend in the kitchen (and I don't have a team of kitchen staff to do all my washing up either!!) So working out how to distil the essence of a wonderful recipe into my reality is something I do a lot! Thanks for linking this up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Chef recipes are ko up to a point but at home different rules apply. The best chef work alongside a home economist to get this conversion right sadly so many dont bother.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Really beautiful salad! I love that it is so fresh, zesty and light and the concentrated orange dressing sounds so good too! So ready for food like this now!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
oh Yes me too roll on summer!
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
This looks so deliciously fresh and tasty. I love the colour on the chicken. Your salad definitely makes me hope summer is on the way!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Oh Cat me too Im fed up with this cold and wet weather I need some sunshine and I didn't get as much as I would have liked while I was in Barcelona one day it tipped it down for the whole day!
jenny walters says
What a delicious and sophisticated salad!I have just got the cookbook so this has inspired me to get going!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Its a great book what out for portion sizes though they can be a bit out.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
What gorgeous flavours! And I love how you've simplified the recipe. I find I am always doing that with published recipes! Eb x
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
You're right Eb. Lots of recipes can be simplified and I'm all for that:)