Janelle Bloom's Genius Chicken Rice Salad

Folks, it’s been a long time since the last post, and that was given over to kvetching about the enforced stopover in San Franscisco  (first world problem, I know), so apologies for my tardiness. 

To make amends, I’d like to publish my take on a recipe for a dish so devilishly simple, so tasty and yet so healthy, I must share it with the whole world. That culinary genius Janelle Bloom does it again. Here it is, a chicken rice and nut salad to make a party perfect. Serves 8-10

Ingredients

•2 already-roasted chickens skin/stuffing removed, meat shredded and chopped (or poach then shred a couple of kilos of chicken breasts)

•1/2 cup olive oil

•1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

•1 clove garlic crushed/minced

•2 tablespoons cider or balsamic vinegar

•2 red onions diced

•1 cup salted macadamias chopped

•1 cup salted cashews chopped

•1 handful pistachio kernels chopped

•1 handful dried cranberries (pomegranate flavoured ‘craisins’ or similar dried fruit)

•1 heaped teaspoon cumin powder

•1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder

•1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika

•2 cups cooked white rice(the microwave family packs are great)

•Squeeze lemon or lime juice

•Chopped parsley

•3 spring onions, finely sliced

Mix up a vinaigrette with the following:

•1/2 cup olive oil

•1 tablespoon mustard

•1 clove garlic crushed/minced

•2 tablespoons cider or balsamic vinegar

Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl, pour over the vinaigrette and then mix it through thoroughly. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours. Run a spoon to mix it through every hour to make sure it’s evenly spread and the flavours fully absorbed.

In a hot frypan, sauté the following in a little light veggie oil for around 10 minutes or until fragrant:

•2 red onions diced

•macadamias

•cashews

•pistachio kernels

•dried cranberries

•cumin powder

•coriander powder

•smoked paprika

Add the two cups cooked white rice to the fry-pan and stir through. Add squeezed lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season with salt to taste.  Up-end rice/nut mix onto a serving platter, top with the shredded marinated chicken.  Garnish with chopped spring onions and chopped parsley. Serves 8.