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Florida Chicken Salad

Source of Recipe

From "Essentials of Southern Cooking" by Damon Lee Fowler


Recipe Introduction

"Reminiscent of the lime-cooked seviches found throughout the Caribbean and Gulf rim, this chicken salad whispers of trade winds and sunshine, even on the dullest, iciest winter day. It's at its very best made with key limes, but such glories are only available for short periods of time, so it's a comfort to know that regular Persian limes work almost as well. The secret to any chicken salad is a light, judicious hand with the mayonnaise. Start with less than you think you will need and add it by teaspoonfuls until you have just enough to coat the chicken."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 large, whole boneless chicken breasts
â—¦ 4 to 5 limes, one thinly sliced for garnish
â—¦ 2 cups chicken broth
â—¦ Salt
â—¦ ¾ cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
â—¦ â…“ cup homemade mayonnaise or commercial mayonnaise
â—¦ Whole black pepper in a mill or ground cayenne pepper
â—¦ 4 to 8 lettuce leaves
â—¦ 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives or green onion tops
â—¦ ½ cup fresh raw pecans, or toasted pecans, sliced lengthwise in slivers


Recipe

Trim the fat and cartilage from the chicken and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry.

Grate the zest from one of the limes and remove half the zest from a second one in large strips with a vegetable peeler. Cut the limes in half and juice them. Measure the juice and juice enough additional limes to make ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon juice.

Put ½ cup of the lime juice, the large strips of zest, and broth in a pan that will just hold the chicken comfortably in one layer. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Add a generous pinch of salt and slip in the chicken breasts. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently poach until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat (if you have an electric range, remove the pan from the burner) and let the chicken cool in the poaching liquid. Remove the chicken, strain the broth, and refrigerate it for another use.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and mix it with the onion in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Stir together the mayonnaise, reserved lime juice, and zest until smooth. Gradually fold about two-thirds of the dressing into the chicken, then add more by spoonfuls until the chicken is lightly coated. Taste and correct the salt; season to taste with black pepper or cayenne and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The salad can be made a day or two ahead.

To serve, spoon the chicken onto the lettuce leaves and sprinkle with chives or green onion tops and pecans. Garnish with thinly sliced limes and serve at once.


Serves 4