Chicken Salad Three Ways

Mediterranean Chicken Salad
with Fennel, Rasins and Pine Nuts

Yields about 1 2/3 cups. Serve on roasted sliced baguette or ciabatta.

For the Dressing:
1/2 small clove garlic, mashed to a paste with a pinch of kosher salt.
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
Pinch Cayenne

For the Salad:
1 cup chopped or shredded leftover Butterflied Chicken Dijon
1/3 cup small diced fresh fennel
3 Tablespoons chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 Tablespoons golden raisins
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Curried Chicken & Apple Salad
Yields about 2 cups. Serve on toasted pita points or other flatbread.

For the Dressing:
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons whole-milk yogurt
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon curry owder
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

For the Salad:
1 cup chopped or shredded leftover Butterflied Chicken
1/2 cup small diced sweet or sweet tart apple such as
Golden Delicious or Fuji
1/3 cup small-diced seeded English cucumber
1 Tablespoon chopped shallot
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or mint (or both)


TEXMEX Chicken Salad
Yields about 1 3/4 cups. Serve with
tortillias or tortilla chips

For the Dressing:
2 Tablespoons sour creqam
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Generous pinch ground cumin

For the Salad
1 cup chopped or shredded leftover Beer-Brined Butterflied Chicken
1/2 ear fresh corn, browned under the broiler or on a grill,
kernels removed (about 1/3 cup).
1/3 cup medium diced cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup small-diced avocado
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallions (about 2 scallions)
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper.


BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN DIJON GRILLED ON A BED OF THYME
Serves 4

1 3.5- 4 pound chicken (I prefer organic)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 scallions (both white and green parts) thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked sweet Spanish (pimenton)
Kosher Salt
Extra-Virgin Olive oil for brushing
4 bunches (about 2 ounces total) fresh thyme, soaked in
water for at least 30 minutes.

Butterfly the chicken.

Build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill with all burners on high. For a charcoal grill, when the charcoal is covered with white-gray ash, divide it into two piles and set a drip pan between the coals. For a gas grill, turn the burners that will be directly underneath the chicken OFF and the other burners to mediu. If your grill has only two burners, turn one off and set the other one at medium. You may neeed to rotate the chicken periodically so that both sides brown.)

In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, scallions, butter, herbes de Provence, paprika, and a large pinch of kosher salt; mix until smooth.

Brush the chicken all over with oil and season lightly on both sides with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Run one or two fingers between the skinand flesh of teh beats, drumsticks, adn thighs. Take care not to tear the skin...

Once the skin is loose, dip your hand in the mustard mixture and put a dollop under the skin. SMooth the skin to evenly distribute the mustard mixture. Repeat until you've used up th mixture and it's evenly distributed. Rub the mixture that remains on your hands evenly over the outside of the chickne. Remove any scallion pieces and put them back under the skin. Tuck the wingtips under the breast and refrigerate the chicken until ready to grill for up to 4 hours ahead.

Just before cooking, remove the thyme from teh water. Lay the bunches of wet thyme in one layer on the center (or not directly over the heat) of the grill gate to form a bed. Put the chicken, skin side up, on top of the thyme, cover, and cook until a thermomemter inserted in the thigh registers 165 to 170 F. 30 to 35 minutes. Brush the chicken all over with a thin coating of olive oil, cover the grill, and continue cooking until a thermometer in the thigh reads 175 to 180F. another 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from teh grill and discard the thyme. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into quarters and serving.

drink? Look for a Chardonnay with butter and spicy oak notes, like the 2003 Buehler, Russian River Valley or a medium bodied supple Pinot Noir, like the 2004 Hahn Estates, Monterey county.