Gentle, vibrant, and completely filling, this make-ahead hen salad is precisely the kind of no-drama tenting lunch we love!
Rooster salad is such a flexible tenting lunch concept! It’s endlessly customizable, permitting you so as to add or subtract components relying in your private choice. It may be both a primary course or a facet dish, by itself, on salad greens, or as a sandwich or wrap!
And the very best half is that there’s no on-site cooking required. Simply take it out of the cooler and serve!
We’ve included a recipe on the best way to cook dinner your individual hen, however when you’re tight on time, there’s nothing unsuitable with selecting up a rotisserie hen from the market and skipping the cooking altogether. Simply combine every thing collectively, put the combo in a sealable container, and place it within the cooler!
We had been so grateful to have this hen salad able to go in our cooler on a latest journey to the Cascade Lakes Hwy. Our youngsters had been melting down simply as we pulled our van as much as Twin Lake, and we had been capable of feed them, get them down for his or her naps, after which get pleasure from our hen salad croissant sandwiches with out having to cook dinner a single factor. That’s the straightforward sort of lunch we’re all about as of late!
-Megan & Michael
Ingredient Substitutions and Notes
- Gently poaching the hen is a straightforward solution to cook dinner hen so it’s juicy and flavorful, or you should utilize rotisserie hen for comfort.
- Mayo could be substituted with plain Greek yogurt (full-fat is finest).
- Be at liberty to mess around with the components on this recipe to make it your individual! Attempt cashews or almonds as an alternative of pecans, add dried cranberries as an alternative of grapes, and use no matter recent herbs you will have available (I particularly love tarragon on this recipe as an alternative of parsley).
Pre-Journey Prep
- Prepare dinner the hen or decide up a rotisserie hen. Chop up the entire components, combine them collectively, and retailer it in a sealed container.
- Pre-made hen salad will retailer for as much as 4 days within the fridge or in a correctly packed cooler.
Cooking Ideas
For the hen
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Place the hen breasts, broth or water, and salt in a saucepan, ensuring that the liquid covers the hen (add extra water if it does not). Convey to a mild boil, then cowl and switch off the warmth. Poach the hen for 10-Quarter-hour, till the interior temperature reaches 160℉ (test this with an instant-read thermometer).
2 hen breasts, 4 cups hen broth or water, 4 teaspoons high-quality sea salt
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Take away the hen from the liquid and place it on a chopping board. Let it relaxation till it is cool sufficient to deal with, then chop it into small bite-sized items.
For the sandwiches
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Add the mayo, Dijon mustard, celery, grapes, pecans, shallot, and parsley to a bowl and stir to mix.
1 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ cup chopped celery, ½ cup grapes, ½ cup pecans, ¼ cup shallot, ¼ cup parsley
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Minimize the croissants in half lengthwise. Divide the hen salad among the many croissants. Serve & get pleasure from!
6 croissants
If utilizing rotisserie hen: Goal for about ½ – ¾ cup of chopped hen per sandwich.
Poached hen methodology tailored from Bon Appetit.
