Chicken Salad with Eggplant is a delicious and complex-looking chicken salad that is derived from my favorite vlog, Aziza’s Country Life. It’s actually simple to make and it’s a real taste-bud-blower when compared to my standard chicken salad, which is always more predictable with the usual ingredients of leftover roasted chicken, real mayo and celery.
The additions of sauteed eggplant, onions and mushrooms, walnuts and cilantro elevate Aziza’s chicken salad to an exotic “Wow!” This recipe can be prepared the night before, and it makes a large and lovely ring display for a family luncheon or picnic with friends.
As a finishing touch, I filled the center with a yogurt-based fruit salad. You can fill the center with your own favorite fruity salad accompaniment, or just leave it empty.
Here’s a selection of delicious salads tested and approved of by FFA: Salads for Summer
For more delicious salad recipes and ideas go to thekitchn.com
Chicken Salad with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 large or multiple small eggplants, sliced into long strips with skin on
- 1/2 cup ghee or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 3 chicken breasts, boiled in salted water until tender
- 8 ounces chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 1+ cup real mayonnaise
Instructions
- Cook three chicken breasts until tender and set aside to cool.
- While chicken is cooking, in a large frying pan, melt ghee or EVOO and begin sautéing the eggplant. Add ghee or oil as needed. Cook until browned on both sides. Remove each strip from the pan and set aside.
- In a separate, large frying pan, begin sautéing the onion in a few tablespoons of ghee or EVOO. Once the onion is transparent, about 10 minutes, add the mushrooms and paprika and continue to cook until the juices from the mushrooms are released and cooked off. Shred the cooled chicken and add it to the pan. Add cilantro and walnuts and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat. Once slightly cooled, stir in real mayonnaise to taste.
- To assemble the chicken salad: on a large circular tray or plate, set an 8-ounce glass upside down in the center of the plate. Starting from the edge of the glass, lay out each eggplant strip, radiating from the center to the edge of the plate, overlapping each slightly as you go. Once complete, arrange cooled chicken salad in a center ring, butting up against the glass. Carefully lift each eggplant strip over the chicken salad and tuck the end into the center. Remove the glass. Place your favorite fruit salad in the center and garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired.Serve with crusty bread and enjoy.
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