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Poached chicken with buttermilk dressing and fennel, cucumber and iceberg salad
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2 skinless chick breasts
- 2 bay leaves
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1/2tsp sea salt
- 1 small iceberg lettuce, outer leave removed
- 2 fennel bulbs (with fronds)
- 1 lebanese cucumber or 1/2 English cucumber
- 2 heads of yellow chicory
- few fennel herb or dill leaves
- 1/2tsp white peppercorns, roughly ground
- few pinches of fennel pollen
- few borage flowers (optional
For the buttermilk dressing
- 2tsp Dijon mustard
- 1tbsp white balsamic
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100ml buttermilk
- 1/4tsp sea salt flakes
Method
Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan large enough to take them in a single layer, along with the bay leaves. Add the stock and just enough cold water to cover.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the salt and leave the chicken to poach in the hot liquid until cold. Just before serving, remove the chicken and slice it (keeping the stock for another recipe).
To make the buttermilk dressing, put all the ingredients in a lidded, screw-topped jar. Shake to emulsify, then chill until needed.
Meanwhile, quarter the lettuce. Peel the cucumber in stripes with a cannelle knife. Cut the fennel and cucumber into very thin slices, reserving the fennel fronds. Slice the chicory into rounds.
To serve, divide the sliced chicken among 4 serving plates, layering it with the prepared salad, fennel fronds and herb leaves or dill. Spoon over some dressing, keeping the rest for adding while eating. Scatter with the peppercorns, fennel pollen and borage flowers, if using.
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