The recipe calls for a whole chicken to be roasted, the meat are then used for the salad. I have however, used a whole large piece of chicken breast instead, very easy, just cut up the meat and I do not have to do extra work pulling the meat off the bones if I used a whole chicken. This recipe also calls for crustless sourdough, and I have replaced with store-bought baguette, and did not remove the crust, I love the crust!
For roasting the whole chicken and the bread, you may refer to the original recipe below. Since I 've used chicken breast and it does take a shorter time to cook, after rubbing the chicken breast all over including under the skin, with a mixture of butter, garlic, thyme leaves, lemon zest, I roast it for about 15 minutes, then add in the bread pieces all around the chicken breast. Turn the bread pieces after 10 minutes and continue to roast for another 10 minutes until the bread are brown and crispy. The chicken is cooked but not quite brown yet, so I remove all the bread pieces and place the tray of chicken under the grill for about 5 minutes to brown and crisp the skin. Remove the chicken and when cool enough to handle, cut to bite-sized pieces.
The simple salad dressing is so good, you might want to double up on the salad dressing. Some currants and a small amount of caster sugar, along with some sherry vinegar (I have replaced with white wine vinegar) is placed in a small saucepan over medium heat for a minute just until the sugar melts. Keep aside for later.
Just before serving, the chicken pieces are mixed with the bread and the green leaves. Whatever juices from the roasting pan are drizzled over the salad, tossing them gently. And I have added in some red cherry tomatoes as well. Spread the chicken, bread and leaves on a plate, scatter the toasted pine nuts all over. Add a pinch of salt to the currant-vinegar mixture and drizzle all over the salad. Serve immediately.
This is one delicious salad, the crunchy curly Frillice makes a beautiful salad. The roasted chicken is very tasty with all the marinating ingredients and the bread is so, so, crispy with the slight peppery taste of the roasted chicken since it has been sitting in the same tray with the chicken and it's juices. The raisins are just so yummy. I will definitely make this again, especially so when I have a request from the kids to make this again soon! A beautiful and tasty salad to serve at the table for a gathering! :)
Warm Roast Chicken and Bread Salad
50gm unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp picked thyme leaves
1 tsp grated lemon zest
salt and black pepper
1 large free-range chicken (1.5kg) (I use one whole chicken breast)
100gm semi-dark crust-free sourdough, torn into 3cm pieces (I use store-bought baguette)
30gm currants
3 tbsp sherry vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)
1 tsp caster sugar
90gm mustard greens (or rocket) (I use frillice)
up to 3 tbsp olive oil
30gm toasted pine nuts
cherry tomatoes (my addition)
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Put the butter, garlic, thyme and lemon zest in a small bowl with a teaspoon each of salt and black pepper, and mash together.
Put the chicken in a baking tray just large enough for it to fit with some room around the sides for the bread. Massage the butter all over the chicken and under the skin - use your hands for this - then roast for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat to 190C/375F/gas mark 5, and roast for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.
Add the sourdough to the tray roast for a final 20 minutes, turning and basting the bread once, until the meat is cooked and the bread has absorbed most of the roasting juices and fried in the heat. Remove from the oven. Transfer the bread to a colander, and leave the chicken to cool down a little.
Meanwhile, put the currants, vinegar and sugar in a small frying pan over a medium flame for two to three minutes, until the sugar has dissolved, and set aside.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, but still warm, pull the flesh off the bone into roughly 2cm bite-sized pieces. Place these in a large bowl and add the bread and leaves. If there are any juices left in the pan, pour three to four tablespoons of it over the salad; if you don't have that much, make up the difference with some olive oil. Mix everything together gently.
Spread the chicken, bread and leaves on a large platter. Add the pine nuts and half a teaspoon of salt to the currants, stir, spoon over the salad and serve.
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