Almond Poached Chicken Salad With Champagne Vinegar Aioli

Almond Poached Chicken Salad With Champagne Vinegar Aioli makes a delicious light main course salad for those balmy spring and summer days.

Simmering boneless, skinless chicken in almond milk lends a slight nuttiness that adds interest and depth to your salad. And bonus….save the poaching milk to make Spanish Garlic Soup! It is a nutty, creamy (non-dairy) change from Gazpacho!

This salad makes a great main course salad. The mangoes and kiwis are refreshing with the nutty chicken chunks. Cucumber adds more cool freshness. You can add or substitute green seedless grapes or celery to suit your tastes.

The Champagne Aioli adds lively interest without overpowering the dish with garlic. Think of it like a zingy mayonnaise!

The cayenne in the Aioli is not hot by any means. It just adds a bit of depth.

Wine Pairing for Almond Poached Chicken Salad

This is a fun dish to pair. The nutty chicken, the creamy dressing and the sweet refreshing fruit give lots of options to harmonize with.

If you want to highlight the fruitiness go with an off-dry Riesling, Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. A lightly or unoaked Chardonnay will highlight the nuttiness of the chicken.

A fruity Rosé would also go nicely.

Almond Poached Chicken Salad With Champagne Vinegar Aioli

Nutty and light, this is the perfect salad meal for warm days.

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 3 cups salad greens
• 2 kiwis peeled and diced
• 2 mangoes peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 cup English cucumber rough chopped
• 1 small red onion slivered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup toasted almond slices
• 1/2 cup green seedless grapes halved (Optional but recommended)
• 1/2 cup celery rough chopped (optional)

Champagne Vinegar Aioli

• 3 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Immerse chicken breasts in almond milk with the coarse salt, in a medium pot.. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, turning breasts half way through. Internal temperature should reach 165° F.
• Remove chicken breasts and allow to cool on a plate. Reserve poaching liquid if you want to use it for another use. See Note 1. Otherwise discard the poaching liquid.
• Shred or chop chicken when cool. Spread salad greens over a large platter and top with chicken, mangoes, kiwi, onion, cucumber and green grapes if using. See Note 2.

Champagne Vinegar Aioli

• Whisk the vinegar and egg with garlic and cayenne pepper in a blender or with an immersion stick blender. Add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream blending all the while. The mixture should emulsify as you add the oil to the texture of loose mayonnaise. Mix in salt to taste.

Notes

Note 1:  The reserved poaching liquid is perfect to use in Spanish Garlic Soup –  a delicious,  almond flavoured cold soup.

Note 2:  Green grape halves are a refreshing addition to this salad.  Celery adds a bit of crunch.  Ingedients are variable here to taste. If you don’t have mango and/or kiwi on hand be sure to include the grapes and celery. 

Nutrition

Calories: 708kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 32g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 2264mg | Potassium: 1136mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1699IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg