Tango Apricot and Curry Chicken Salad
It’s hard to believe that Silicon Valley, a hotbed of technology, was once a thriving, agricultural oasis, known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight. In her book, For the Love of Apricots, Recipes & Memories of the Santa Clara Valley, Lisa Prince Newman documents how 125 miles of farms in the Santa Clara Valley dominated the economy for a century, with apricots being the “Prince of the Orchards.”* Apricots for me, represent the advent of summer, and since they have a short season, I hurry to make the most of it. So, here, I pair fresh Blenheim apricots with a curried chicken salad, and the flavors meld nicely as both are tangy. Serve it with pitas for a picnic, a neighborhood potluck, or just a regular family dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups fresh but firm apricots, Blenheim variety if available
- 1 cup fresh but firm mango
- 2 large celery stalks or 1 1/3 cups
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- Dressing:
- 3 T. mayonnaise, Best Foods Real Mayo preferrable
- 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup Major Grey’s Chutney
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- ¼ t. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ T. lime juice
- 1 t. curry
- 1 T. garlic
- ½ cup + 1 T. green onion
- 2 T. chives
- 1 t. salt, add a little at a time
- Slivered almonds for garnish
- Pita bread to serve
Directions
- Step 1 Start by dry brining or patting your chicken breasts with ½ t. of kosher salt per pound. Let sit in the refrigerator for ½ to 1 hour. Then, bring 2 quarts of water in a medium saucepan to a boil and add the chicken breasts, whole. Boil the chicken for 15 minutes or until the juices run clear, when you cut into it, and the meat isn’t red or pink. The internal temperature should be 165° F. Drain the cooking liquid from the chicken and set aside to cool.
- Step 2 Next, wash and set the mango upright with the stem down on a cutting board. Now, with a paring knife, cut through the flesh from the tip to the stem, lengthwise. Then, turn the mango a quarter turn and make another cut. Repeat two more times until four cuts are made. Then, gently peel back one quarter of the peel, trying to keep as much of the fruit intact as possible. Repeat this for another quarter. Now, detect where the pit is in the mango and work around it, cutting as much fruit off the pit as possible. Next, peel back the remaining two quarters and cut the last fruit off the pit, dicing the mango in chunks. Add the fruit to a large mixing bowl.
- Step 3 Now, wash your apricots first, then, slice one in half, removing the seed. Next, chop this fruit in chunks and repeat this process for all the apricots. Toss this fruit into the mixing bowl with the mango. Then, wash and chop the celery stalks in vertical, then horizontal cuts, until the celery is diced. Combine in the bowl with the apricots, mango, and toss in the raisins, too. Lastly, chop the chicken, when cooled, in whatever bite-sized pieces you prefer. Add to the mixing bowl.
- Step 4 Finally, make the dressing. Measure out the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, chutney, oil, vinegar, lime juice, and curry in a small mixing bowl. Chop the onions and chives as you mince the garlic. Add all the above to its own mixing bowl. Then, pour as much of the dressing as you’d like over the salad, erring on the side of less rather than more, so the salad isn’t soupy. It may serve you well to reserve a little dressing in case the salad dries out in the fridge. Lastly, season with salt, adding a little at a time until it meets your satisfaction. Serve with sliced almonds and pita bread if you desire. Enjoy!
- Step 5 NOTE: It’s important to use firm apricots and mangos or the salad will become soupy. Avoid picking out fruit that is too soft to the touch
This showstopper of a salad is a gorgeous dish to serve with alternating warm and cool tones of orange-speckled apricots and green-dappled celery and chives. Given a chance, it will bring out the artist in each of us! I find this salad as tasty as beautiful to eat.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: servings per recipe: 5, calories: 596, total fat: 21.6 g., saturated fat: 5.3 g., cholesterol: 158 mg., sodium: 367 mg., total carbohydrate: 38.5 g., dietary fiber: 2.9 g., total sugars: 26.6 g., protein: 61.8 g., calcium: 34 mg., iron: 2 mg., potassium: 376 mg., vitamin D: 0 mcg,
SOURCES:
*Newman, Lisa Prince. for the Love of Apricots: Recipes & Memories of the Santa Clara Valley. San Rafael, Prince of the Orchards Publications, 2018-2020.