Smoked Chicken and Cheese Salad

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a smoked chicken and cheese salad? First, gather the ingredients from the list. You can use meat from smoked drumsticks or thighs instead of breast. You can replace the smoked chicken with boiled or fried chicken. Use any soft cheese you like: cream cheese, processed cheese, or feta. I'm using plain cream cheese. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves.

2. Step 2:

   

   If you like, you can add about 80 g of pitted black or green olives. Take the pitted olives out of the brine and dry them.

3. Step 3:

   

   Remove the skin and bones from the smoked breast and cut it into thin slices.

4. Step 4:

   

   Halve the tomatoes. I'm using cherry tomatoes, but you can use regular ones. The tomatoes should be juicy but firm. Soft ones don't hold their shape - they'll turn into mush as you slice and assemble them and spoil the look of the dish.

5. Step 5:

   

   Peel the red onion and cut it into thin rings or half-rings. If you like, you can marinate the onion in 2 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of sugar. Or replace the red onion with a regular one, but then you'll need to marinate it to take away the sharpness and bitterness.

6. Step 6:

   

   Now make the dressing. You can add or swap ingredients to taste. Use any mustard you like: grainy, like mine, or a smooth prepared paste. Use any vegetable oil to taste. I'm using olive oil.

7. Step 7:

   

   In a small bowl, combine the vegetable oil, lemon juice, runny honey, mustard, the garlic clove pressed through a garlic press, salt, and pepper. Whisk it all thoroughly with a fork until smooth.

8. Step 8:

   

   Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter. Distribute the smoked chicken, tomatoes, and red onion on top. Using a teaspoon, place small quenelles of cream cheese around.

9. Step 9:

   

   Drizzle the honey-mustard dressing over the salad.

10. Step 10:

    

    And finally, scatter whole pitted olives over the salad. You can serve the salad right away. Enjoy!