Chicken salad with Arzúa cheese and walnuts

How to prepare a chicken salad .

One of the salad recipes that triumphs at my friend Monica’s house is this. A fresh recipe with a different touch.

Ideal for those dinners or meals with friends, where the amount of food is usually abundant and a good salad is always appreciated to “degrease”.

Are you bored with the usual salad? That of every day with the typical tomato and lettuce.

Well, on the blog we have a lot of options for you to enjoy a chicken salad. From the famous Cesar salad , an original salad with chicken and artichokes or the delicious salad with chicken and bacon .

The best way to succeed is to vary the ingredients of your salad, use an original dressing and have a little imagination. A dish with some different ingredients from the typical salad that is very nice, fresh and very juicy.

This salad has its strong point in the dressing. The secret to a good salad is to use fresh vegetables and especially a good dressing that combines perfectly with the chosen ingredients.

In this case I recommend a dressing with different vinegars, a good extra virgin olive oil and a variety of aromatic herbs: Oregano, peppermint and basil.

Completing this dressing with quality ingredients, lettuce and endive, nuts, chicken, cheese and olives …

Your guests will be surprised by the different flavors they can come to appreciate. Rich, rich … yummy, you will tell me.

Preparation of the chicken salad base

1. We wash the lettuce and other vegetables and drain well.
2. Although these salads are usually sold already washed in plastic bags, however, I recommend doing it again before preparing it.
3. Put the leaves in a large bowl to make it easier for us to mix with the rest of the ingredients.
4. We cook the eggs. We cover them with cold water and cook 10-12 minutes from the boil. It depends on the size of the egg.
5. We should not cook them any longer as a dark greenish halo forms around the yolk that is unpleasant to the eye, with these indications they must be perfect. Chill, peel, fillet and reserve for the last step.
6. Peel the walnuts. This ingredient goes from pearls to cheese, even more so if it is a creamy cheese like that of Arzúa Ulloa.
7. But logically you can substitute the cheese that you like the most, which is not very strong.

Preparing the chicken before mixing

1. We laminate the breast in the middle in two fillets and in a frying pan add a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.
2. We pass the breasts round and round in the pan with the hot oil.
3. Once they are done we remove and let them cool a little.
4. Cut into more or less equal dice and reserve.
5. Cut the Arzúa cheese into small cubes and reserve.
6. We assemble the salad with the above ingredients, the salad leaves at the bottom of the plate, the pieces of cheese, the sliced ​​egg, the diced chicken breast, the nuts and the olives.

Preparation of the dressing for the salad and final assembly

The  vinaigrette is one of the most international and most versatile sauces in the world.

This basic and tasty dressing has been used for many years to dress and flavor salads.

The proportions will depend on the taste of each one, the type of oil, vinegar and ingredients used can change the intensity of the flavor.

• In a glass add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. We introduce the extra virgin olive oil and vinegars in the same measure: sherry vinegar and Modena vinegar in equal parts.
• Stir vigorously until tied. We add the aromatic herbs to our liking, in this case: Oregano, peppermint and basil. Mix gently until well mixed. We reserve.

Add the dressing and mix carefully before serving. Enjoy this refreshing salad!

Remember that you can find many more salads in the rechupet e salad recipe book .

A perfect recipe to include in your weekly menu. Here you have a step by step in photos where I show how to prepare this recipe for chicken salad . Do not miss any detail so that it comes out perfect.