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Poached chicken and freekeh salad with tarragon and lemon vinaigrette

Name: Lemon chicken salad recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 100g dried freekeh (or farro); 80g almond; 2 x 400g poached chicken breasts (see note), shredded; 1 small fennel, bulb thinly shaved on a mandoline (or with a very sharp knife), fronds reserved; 1 bunch rocket leaves and 1 ripe avocado, thickly sliced, to garnish; 1 garlic clove; 40.00 ml lemon juice; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 80ml olive oil; 20.00 ml each chopped French tarragon

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Poached chicken and freekeh salad with tarragon and lemon vinaigrette

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by Danielle Alvarez

Nov 17, 2023

This zesty chicken side is the hit of citrus every spring feast needs.

100g dried freekeh (or farro)
1/2 cup (80g) raw almonds, halved
2 x 400g poached chicken breasts (see note), shredded
1 small fennel, bulb thinly shaved on a mandoline (or with a very sharp knife), fronds reserved
1 bunch rocket leaves and 1 ripe avocado, thickly sliced, to garnish

Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs each chopped French tarragon and mint

Method

1.

Cook the freekeh or farro according to packet instructions and leave it to cool. Preheat oven to 175°C/155°C fan-forced. Place almonds on a small baking tray and toast for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Set aside.
2.

To make the vinaigrette, grate garlic into a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients, season and stir to combine. Set aside.
3.

In a large bowl, combine almonds, shredded chicken, freekeh and fennel. Toss with most of the vinaigrette, along with a pinch of salt flakes.
4.

Spoon salad into bowls, or onto a serving platter, and top with rocket, avocado and reserved fronds. Finish with a drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette.

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Recipe Notes

The trick to poaching chicken is to cook it in seasoned water (spices, garlic and herbs) at a temperature of 65°C. You don’t want to see anything moving in the pot – it should be quite still with a gentle wisp of steam coming off the top. For a 400g breast, it will take about 40 minutes.