Classic Chicken Salad with Pickled Beetroot and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Tender pulled chicken over crisp lettuce and endive, dressed with a sharp vinaigrette and finished with jewel-bright beetroot and jammy eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 lbcooked chicken(roasted or poached, pulled into generous pieces)
- 1romaine lettuce(leaves separated and torn)
- 1 smallhead of frisée or curly endive(pale inner leaves only)
- ½English cucumber(thinly sliced into rounds)
- 2medium cooked beetroots(store-bought or home-roasted, sliced into thin rounds)
- 4eggs
- 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tbspwhite wine vinegar
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- ½ tspcaster sugar
- ½ tspfine sea salt
- ¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper
Method
- 01
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Lower the 4 eggs in gently and cook for 7 minutes for jammy yolks, then transfer immediately to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel and halve lengthways.
- 02
Whisk together the 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp caster sugar, ½ tsp fine sea salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Taste and adjust acidity.
- 03
Tear the romaine lettuce and pale frisée leaves into a large wide serving bowl or platter, mixing them together to form an even base.
- 04
Arrange the 2 lb pulled cooked chicken over the lettuce in loose, irregular mounds — avoid packing it flat.
- 05
Drizzle two-thirds of the dressing over the chicken and greens, letting it pool slightly at the base.
- 06
Fan the 0.5 cucumber sliced into rounds and the 2 medium cooked beetroot rounds alternately around the outer edge of the platter.
- 07
Nestle the halved eggs among the chicken pieces, cut-side up, and spoon the remaining dressing over the eggs and border garnish.
- 08
Serve immediately — do not dress the salad more than 10 minutes before serving or the leaves will wilt.
Adapted from public domain & community sources