Chicken salad: Effortless elegance for any occasion
Chicken salad with Napa cabbage and pineapple is a simple combination that often pleases the palate. It's nutritious and well-balanced in flavour. The cabbage and pineapple contribute a sense of lightness, while the fried chicken effectively satisfies one's appetite. Even though the salad is mixed with mayonnaise, it doesn’t leave a heavy feeling.
28 November 2024 17:54
When planning a menu for a party, choose snacks that save you time. Quick chicken salads are ideal for this purpose. They’re easy to prepare in larger quantities and won’t strain your budget. A few simple ingredients and it’s ready.
What chicken to use for a quick salad?
You can prepare the salad in two ways:
1) The first version is with smoked chicken — much easier because it doesn’t require cooking the meat. Simply dice the smoked chicken breast or thigh and combine with the other ingredients. You can also use smoked turkey;
2) In the second variant, there is fried chicken — clean and cut the raw fillet into pieces, then marinate in spices. Mix a tablespoon of oil with salt, pepper, and ground paprika. Finally, fry in a hot pan until golden brown.
Easy recipe for chicken and Napa cabbage salad
For a large bowl of salad, you need:
- 1 Napa cabbage,
- chicken breast,
- 1 tablespoon of oil,
- 1 teaspoon of salt,
- 1 teaspoon of pepper,
- 1 teaspoon of ground sweet paprika,
- red and yellow bell peppers,
- 1 can of pineapple,
- 1 can of corn,
- 60 grams of mayonnaise.
Prepare the salad in four simple steps:
Step 1. Dice the chicken breast, mix with spices, and fry in a pan.
Step 2. Cut the red and yellow peppers in half. Remove the seeds and then dice both peppers.
Step 3. Drain the pineapple and corn. If possible, use fresh pineapple. Just remember to remove the inedible core.
Step 4. In a large bowl, mix the fried chicken, two types of peppers, pineapple, corn, and mayonnaise. You can serve the salad immediately, but it’s worth placing it in the fridge for a while to allow the flavours to meld.
Quick chicken salad in various versions
Neutral in flavour, chicken breast is ideal for many different salads. You may be inspired by the classic Caesar salad recipe or experiment with various additions. Add rice or pasta, blanched broccoli, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, or feta cheese.
You can replace mayonnaise with vinaigrette or hummus if you prefer oriental flavours. Sprinkle the prepared salad with fresh herbs like finely chopped dill, parsley, coriander leaves, or basil.
