An impressive chicken salad

An impressive chicken salad platter with Piment d'espelette dressing. Photograph: Harry Weir photography
An impressive chicken salad platter with Piment d'espelette dressing. Photograph: Harry Weir photography
Serves: 6
Course: main
Cooking Time: 2 hrs
Prep Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 200mls chicken stock
  • 2tsps Piment d’espelette or smoked paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • A good spring of thyme
  • Medium sized chicken (1.4kg approx)
  • 500g baby potatoes
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 4 eggs, boiled to your taste
  • 200mls sour cream
  • 100mls natural yoghurt
  • Drizzle of honey
  • A selection of salad leaves and vegetables

1 Set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

2 Pour the chicken stock into a pot that will fit the chicken comfortably.

3 Add the spice and whisk through, then add the bay leaves and thyme and sit the chicken on top. Tumble in the potatoes, season and drizzle everything with a little olive oil.

4 Cover and cook in the oven for one hour covered and one hour uncovered.

5 Remove from the oven, allow to cool, remove the chicken and the potatoes and strain the cooking juices into a bowl and allow the fat to rise to the top.

6 Skim the fat from the juices then pat once or twice with a sheet of kitchen towel. This will ensure most of the fat is removed.

7 Whisk sour cream, yoghurt and honey into the juices and season.

8 Put the chicken on to a large platter and cut a few slices off for easy access.

9 Arrange the salad, halved eggs, vegetables and potatoes all around in an artful way and serve the dressing on the side for everyone to help themselves.

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. He and his wife, Máire, run the Tannery restaurant and cookery school in Dungarvan, Co Waterford