Whole-grain mustard makes a tangy and attractive punch to the salad.

Whole-grain mustard makes a tangy and attractive punch to the salad.

Peering into the fridge to ponder dinner last night yielded the makings for chicken salad. I was, however, without mayo. But I recalled the recipe on Cooking for Engineers, checked for ingredients, and decided to give it a go. I also pulled my shiny new digital scale from Salter out to measure everything out, so for those without a scale, this will be an annoying recipe for you. Everything is in grams, save the original mayo recipe part. As I love garlic, I used a lot of it, about 8 cloves. So, don’t be heading to any public events after this, other than garlic festivals.

Now I know this list will look a little complicated, but I swear it’s not. It’s really just boil potatoes, pan-fry chicken, whiz ingredients, chop and mix. I happened to have the chicken already done (handy to pre-cook and useful in so many meals!), and everything else didn’t take too long at all. About an hour, I’d say.

Potatoes

  • 20 g garlic
  • 3 potatoes, yellow
  • 1 tsp salt
  1. Prepare your pot of water for the potatoes. Throw in salt and the garlic. (Start Chicken)
  2. Toss potatoes in when the water is boiling. Probably toward the end of the chicken.
  3. Boil for about 40 mins. (Should be ready after the Mayo)
  4. Reserve garlic. Drain potatoes. Cool them in in cold water.

Chicken

  • 180 g chicken breast, shredded (1 breast, bone-in, skin-on)
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 tsp salt
  1. Mix salt and thyme together. Use to salt chicken, with more on the skin.
  2. Heat pan on high with a tsp of oil.
  3. Place chicken skin-side down. Reduce heat to 7/8 (med-high) and cook for 7-8 mins, making sure to only brown the skin.
  4. Flip chicken, cover, and reduce heat to 2/3 (low-med) and cook for 15 minutes. (Start Mayo!)
  5. Take cover off, check juices. If ready, set aside on a plate to cool. If not, turn off the burner, leave cover on for 5 mins. Repeat until done.

Mayonnaise

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 20 g garlic
  • 15 g lemon juice
  • 0.5 tsp sugar
  • 0.5 cup olive oil
  1. Beat yolk, salt, garlic and lemon juice on medium until light yellow and garlic is minced. About 1 min.
  2. Incorporate olive oil in a slow and steady stream. Mix on medium. You’ll know it has emulsified when it starts to thicken.
  3. Taste and balance with a pinch of sugar and more salt if necessary.
  4. I used about a tbsp of hot water (a few drops at a time), to get the right consistency, as I found it too thick.

Salad

  • 40 g onion
  • 200 g celery (or cucumber)
  • 1.5 tbsp whole grain mustard (I used Maille)
  • Shredded chicken
  • 4 tbsps Mayo (to taste, really)
  • Dill (just a bit, if you have some)
  1. Dice potatoes (chunky), cucumber (medium-small), onion (small). Shred chicken (should be cool by now!). Add your home made mayo and the mustard. I like dill, don’t add too much. I also don’t usually add it, because I never have “just a bit” of dill on hand.
  2. Mix and salt (if necessary) to taste.