Chicken or Duck Salad with Wild Rice & Cranberries

The only plate I have that is big enough to hold this salad is my turkey platter, passed down through the family from my great-aunt Alethea to my mom, to me. It's a festive and special salad so that seems perfectly appropriate.

The wild rice is a little expensive, and it and the chicken need to be cooked in advance, but otherwise it's no harder to make this than any other salad. The festive occasion I made this for was our weekly dinner with my mom, but I'm thinking I might make it again around Christmas. If I could find some skin-on but boneless duck breasts I think they might be even better than the chicken. I used to be able to get them around here, but no more. Too bad. Still, chicken is perfectly fine and it was eaten with gusto.

Since the cranberries were raw ones, and I didn't use any sweet element in this salad, I thought they would do better chopped up. Next time, though, I would save a few whole ones to garnish the top. You could use dried cranberries if you think the raw ones would be too tart, but once chopped we thought they were fine. 

4 to 6 servings
45 minutes prep time, plus time to cook the rice and cool it - at least 2 hours

Cook the Wild Rice & Chicken:
1 cup wild rice
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast OR 4 boneless chicken thighs
   (approximately 600 grams or 1 1/3 pounds)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons 5-spice powder

Put the wild rice, water, and salt into a rice cooker. Turn on, and cook. Remove the pot from the cooker and let the rice cool. Keep refrigerated once cool until needed. This can be done up to a day ahead, and should be started at least 3 hours in advance.

Make sure the chicken pieces are flat and thin. Arrange them on a heat-proof pan. Sprinkle one side with half of the soy sauce and half of the 5-spice powder. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes until the chicken is half done. Turn it over, and season the other sides with the remaining soy sauce and 5-spice powder. Broil for a further 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is done. The exact time will depend on just how thick the chicken is, and how close it gets to your broiler, so you will need to use your judgement.  Let it rest and cool for at least 10 minutes. Once it is cool, it can be sliced into bite-sized pieces and refrigerated until needed; again this can be done up to a day in advance.

Make the Salad Dressing:
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider OR rice vinegar

Finely grate the ginger into a small bowl or jam jar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix or shake together.

Make the Salad:
2 to 3 cups finely chopped lettuce
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped chives

Wash, trim, and chop the lettuce. Drain well. Put it in a large mixing bowl. Wash, trim, and shred the cabbage finely. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Peel and grate the carrot. Wash and chop the cranberries. Wash, trim, and chop the chives. Mix all these in the bowl, with the wild rice.

Toss the salad with the dressing.  Arrange it on a large platter or individual serving plates. Top the salad or salads with the  prepared chicken.




Last year at this time I made Apple or Pear & Ginger Mincemeat.

Posted in: Ontario Food