Yum!

I had a really nice Christmas Eve with my husband's family this year. My husband actually attempted to make a Venezuelan chicken salad that came out absolutely delicious! I garnished it with carrot flowers inspired by the great idea I got from www.kitchen.com.



Anyway, here's how to make it. Try it, it's delicious!

What you will need (this was enough for 9 people at my house last night):
2 1/2 lbs. of potatoes, cut into 3/8"-1/2" cubes,
1 big carrot, cut in 3/8"-1/2" cubes,
3 large split chicken breasts with bones,
2 medium onions,
1 can (8.5 oz.) of peas,
1/2 of a yellow apple,
1/4 of a cup of vinegar,
1/2 cup of olive oil,
1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Cut one of the onions into four pieces. Place the quartered onion and the chicken breasts in a pot with enough cold water to cover everything. Add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out and let it cool. You can save the broth and boiled onion for a soup, or whatever.


2. Bring a big pot of water to a strong boil, add a bit of salt and drop the cubed potatoes and carrots in. The key here is to boil the vegetables just enough so that they're edible, but still firm. About 7-8 minutes should do it. Test the potatoes periodically as they boil. As soon as they're ready, take them off the fire, drain the water using a strainer and pour cold water on them to arrest further cooking. It's really important that they stay firm, or they'll fall apart into mush in the salad!


3. Pull and shred the chicken off the bones, and mix it lightly with the boiled potatoes and carrots, being careful not to mash the vegetables in the process. Add about 3/4 of the can of peas (the rest will be used for decoration later). Set aside.


4. For the vinaigrette, liquify the other onion, the apple half, the oil and the vinegar at high speed, so it froths and emulsifies a little (a hand blender or food processor works great for this.) Blend in the mayo and add salt and pepper to taste.


5. Pour the vinaigrette on the chicken/veggies mix, mixing it carefully with a wooden spoon. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, pack the salad lightly into a serving bowl and flatten the top. Sprinkle the remaining peas on top as a garnish. Refrigerate for a while. Serve cold.