Salad with smoked chicken and daikon is convenient because it is prepared without complicated preparation, but the taste is expressive and satisfying. Smoked meat gives ready saturation, daikon adds juiciness and light crunch, and fried onions gather everything into a more homemade and soft composition. This is a good option both for a quick dinner and for a festive table when you need a dish made from simple products.
In order for the salad to be truly balanced, it is important not to miss the short treatment of daikon with boiling water. After it, the root vegetable remains elastic, but loses its sharp bitterness and does not interrupt the taste of smoked chicken. It is better to fry the onion until golden, not until dark: then it will remain sweet and will not give a bitter note in the dressing.
You don’t need a lot of mayonnaise here – just to combine the ingredients. If you add it excessively, the salad will become heavy and lose its expressiveness. Add salt at the end, because both smoked chicken and mayonnaise already have their own saltiness. Before serving the salad, it is useful to let it stand for 10 minutes – this way the taste will become smoother, and the daikon will better combine with other ingredients.
Ingredients
- boiled and smoked chicken half – 1 pc.
- daikon – 500 g
- onion – 1 pc.
- mayonnaise – 2 tbsp. spoons
- vegetable oil – for frying
- parsley – several sprigs
- salt – to taste
- freshly ground black pepper – to taste
What can be replaced
Preparation
- Prepare a napkin or a paper towel for fried onions in advance – so there will be no excess fat in the salad.
- Be sure to squeeze the daikon slightly with your hands after boiling, otherwise it will release juice already in the bowl.
- It is better to cut the chicken into small pieces of the same size so that the salad is easy to mix and submit.
How to cook step by step
- Cut the onion into thin half rings. Fry it in a small amount of oil until a soft golden color, then transfer it to a napkin to remove excess fat.
- Grate the daikon on a grater for Korean carrots, pour boiling water over it for 1 minute, then discard it in a sieve and squeeze it slightly. It should remain juicy, but not watery.
- Remove the skin from the chicken, separate the meat from the bones and finely chop. Wash the parsley, dry it and chop it with a knife.
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken, daikon and fried onions. Add mayonnaise, a little salt, black pepper and half of the greens. Mix well, taste and adjust the taste if necessary.
- Before serving, sprinkle the salad with the remaining parsley. If you have a few minutes, leave it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes so that the taste becomes more complete.
Why the recipe works
How to submit
Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature. It goes well with dried bread, potatoes or as an independent snack on the festive table. If you prepare in advance, it is better to add the greens just before serving so that they remain fresh.
Typical mistakes
- Do not squeeze the daikon after boiling – then the salad quickly becomes watery.
- Add too much mayonnaise – the taste of smoked chicken and greens becomes heavy and less pronounced.
- Blind salting – mix first, because smoked chicken and mayonnaise already give enough salt.