Poached Chicken salad with Plum Sauce

Poached Chicken salad with Plum Sauce 

I love salads and I love soft tender chicken breast and I love combining the two of them together but the major problem I have usually faced is getting a perfectly soft succulent chicken breast which is melt in the mouth and not stringy. I searched and followed many many tips until I hit upon the right recipe and there is this one crucial advice from my friend Claudia which helped me immensely. 

This post is not only about the salad but about the delightful plum sauce which makes for a wonderful tangy dressing.

Basically its very simple

Serves 1

What you need for poaching :-

1 breast of chicken weighing anywhere between 110gm to 120gm minus the bone
1 clove of garlic if the clove is fat or 2 cloves of garlic in case they are of the medium size
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped spring onion
Enough water which covers the chicken
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground pepper

For the salad

1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup of bell peppers (A mixture of yellow bell pepper and red bell pepper)
1 small onion
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil

For the plum sauce

The plum sauce serves 3 to 4

Now when I made this plum sauce I had a big bowl of leftover plum sauce and you can always store it in the refrigerator for 2 days to 3 days

4 to 5 medium sized red plums
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
Salt as per taste
Pinch of chili flakes

Start by chopping your vegetables for the salad and chilling it. Now make your plum sauce by grilling the plums, onion and garlic for 5 minutes on each side with a tray beneath the racks which collects all the jucie that bursts out. You can also use the Microwave cum grill mode for 6 minutes at 600W to cook the plums with garlic and onions.

Now wait for it to cool and skin the plums , garlic and onion and then blend it with the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar honey, salt and chili flakes.

For the chicken breast here are some important tips

Use the smallest possible pan to fit the breast in

Now add the garlic, thyme , salt and freshly ground pepper and cover it with water and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for exactly 2 minutes and then cover and walk away letting it cook in the steam for 5 minutes and then take out the chicken and wait for 5 minutes and then slice it. That's it soft succulent chicken breast

No simply arrange the vegetables, chicken with the plum sauce on top.