Great summer salad
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 cups water
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (i skipped and just used water to cook the breasts)
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup green onion chopped
- 1 (3/4 lb) firm-ripe mango peeled, pitted, and chopped
- 1 cup red seedless grapes halved
- 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews coarsely chopped
- Carbohydrate 29.1586165325574 g
- Cholesterol 76.3713258333333 mg
- Fat 20.1204518541667 g
- Fiber 2.07276787255544 g
- Protein 29.7942982291638 g
- Saturated Fat 3.34103165 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (408g)
- Sodium 666.888295833296 mg
- Sugar 27.085848660002 g
- Trans Fat 1.65690392916667 g
- Calories 409 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring water and chicken broth to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan.
- Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat, cover pan, then let stand until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
- Move chicken to a plate, let cool 10 minutes, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
- While chicken is cooling, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Add chicken, onion, mango, grapes, and cashews; gently stir to combine.
Boiling poultry at a rolling boil rather than poaching it gently produces dry, stringy meat that ruins the texture of cold salads. Maintaining a gentle temperature of roughly 165 degrees Fahrenheit during cooking keeps the protein tender. When you remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it for fifteen minutes, residual thermal energy finishes the interior without toughening the outer fibers. Chopping the cooled chicken into uniform half-inch cubes allows every bite to absorb the dressing evenly.
Mastering Poultry Temperature
Poaching boneless, skinless breasts in simmering liquid rather than boiling water is the single factor that determines whether the dish succeeds or fails. Submerging the meat in water seasoned with broth and bringing it down to a bare simmer before turning off the heat ensures even cooking throughout the thickest part of the breast. Allowing the meat to rest on a plate for ten minutes before cubing lets the internal juices redistribute instead of pooling on the cutting board.Balancing Spice and Acid
Curry powder contains fat-soluble aromatic compounds that bloom when whisked directly into mayonnaise and yogurt, dispersing flavor compounds efficiently across the dairy fats. Combining fresh lime juice and honey cuts through the richness of the base while balancing the natural acidity of chopped mangoes and halved red grapes. Folding in coarsely chopped salted cashews at the very end preserves their structural crunch against the soft fruit and tender poultry.
