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Chicken salad with pineapple layers

Layered chicken and pineapple salad

A hearty, good-looking salad for weeknights and celebrations alike! This simple salad is a crowd-pleaser. The combination here is harmonious and well chosen: refreshing pineapple, tender protein-rich chicken, and cheese make a lovely ensemble of flavors. It suits both an everyday meal and a holiday spread — elegant and delicious!

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken fillet

150

Pineapple

150

Walnuts

Any cheese

Mayonnaise

Eggs

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 31 % 11 g

Fats 58 % 21 g

Carbohydrates 11 % 4 g

250 kcal

GI: 25 / 75 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a layered chicken and pineapple salad? Gather the ingredients on the list. You'll need a medium chicken breast fillet, two eggs (large if possible), shelled walnuts, and a good hard cheese.
Step 2:

How do you cook chicken breast properly? Pour about 6 cups (1.5 liters) of water into a saucepan. When it boils, salt it (about 1/2 tablespoon) and add the chicken. For flavor you can add a few black peppercorns (3-4) and a bay leaf. Cook over low heat, covered, until done (about 20 minutes after it returns to a boil). If a knife slides in easily, it's ready. Let it cool right in the broth so the meat doesn't dry out, then cut it into small cubes.
Step 3:

Hard-boil the eggs (8-10 minutes after the water boils), cool them under cold water, then peel and cut them into small cubes.
Step 4:

This time I used fresh pineapple, and I liked it even more than canned. It's important to cut it very fine, since it's quite dense and firm. If you use canned pineapple, lift the rings out of the syrup, let them drain, then chop.
Step 5:

Grate the hard cheese on the medium side of a grater.
Step 6:

How do you assemble the salad? I use individual small bowls. You could use single-serving cups, one large bowl, or a plating ring set on a flat plate. Lay down the diced chicken as the first layer. Spread it with a thin coat of mayonnaise, or pipe a lattice of mayonnaise from a piping bag.
Step 7:

Add the pineapple as the second layer and pipe on another mayonnaise lattice.
Step 8:

Next spread the diced eggs, then mayonnaise. Top with the cheese, and mayonnaise again.
Step 9:

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet and chop them finely with a knife or pulse them in a blender. Scatter them over the top of the salad. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours so the layers meld, then serve. Enjoy!

It's even tastier if you don't boil the chicken but roast it in foil with spices.
How do you roast chicken breast? In a small bowl, mix some suitable spices — herbes de Provence, dried basil, 1-2 cloves of garlic pressed through a press, salt, and pepper work well. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with a high smoke point and stir. Coat the chicken all over with this marinade and let it sit 20 minutes. Wrap the fillet in foil and bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes. The finished meat will be easy to pierce with a fork or knife and will run clear juices.
The salad looks neat and attractive if you cut all the ingredients into pieces of the same size and shape (cubes, for instance).
Always wash eggs before using them, since harmful bacteria can cling even to a shell that looks clean. A food-safe wash and a brush work best.
It's better to make your own mayonnaise — tastier and healthier. You can find recipe options here. You can also dress the salad with sour cream or plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise, used on their own or mixed with mayonnaise in any ratio you like, which lightens the dish.