During one of my many interregnums between regular employment gigs I got up at 4:00 every morning to bake homemade croissants which I then made into sandwiches and sold door-to-door at businesses in my end of town. The fillings consisted of things like sliced roast beef, ham, turkey, and so on - ordinary sandwich fare. But my most popular sandwich was filled with curried chicken salad. This recipe is sweet, spicy, and savory and extraordinarily good. I haven't made a croissant since those days, but I still make this salad and stuff it into pita bread. Serves 2.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
- or
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
- *** Cooking broth ***
- 1 - 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 onion; peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 carrot; coarsely chopped
- 1/2 celery stalk; coarsely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 lemon; juiced
- *** Salad ***
- 1/2 apple; peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup loosely packed sweetened coconut
- 4 tsp. mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon; juiced
- 1 Tbsp. curry powder (I prefer Madras, Hot)
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Bring cooking broth ingredients to a simmer in a covered sauté pan or skillet.
2. Add chicken and cook, covered, for 25 minutes.
3. Cool chicken to room temperature, then cut into 1/2" cubes and place in a large bowl.
4. Add salad ingredients and mix thoroughly. You may need a bit more mayonnaise. Taste and adjust curry powder and salt to your taste.
5. Chill for at least three hours, then stuff into pita bread, pile on lettuce leaves, or layer on a sliced croissant.
