Main Page
Festive table
Layered salad with chicken and pineapples

Layered Salad with Chicken and Pineapple

A delicious classic! Salads like this can be made by simply tossing everything together, or dressed up a little for a special occasion — built in layers. Crown the top with pineapple pieces, nuts, and fresh herbs. Serve it in a big bowl or in individual portions; either way it's a sure hit with family and guests alike, because it's so tasty, filling, and light all at once.

BLUE-EYED

Recipe author

Layered salad with chicken and pineapples

Watch the video

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pineapple (canned, 1 can / 565 g)

340

Smoked chicken leg (1 medium leg; weight is the meat alone)

140

Potatoes

Eggs

Hard cheese

100

Cucumber (fresh hothouse, 215 g)

Napa cabbage (3 small leaves; mine were purple — yellow or green work too)

Bell pepper (1/2 large red pepper)

100

Fresh herbs (green onion, dill, parsley)

Walnuts

Mayonnaise

125

Salt

Ground pepper blend

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 5 g

Fats 50 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 29 % 7 g

153 kcal

GI: 63 / 38 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make layered chicken and pineapple salad? Gather your ingredients. Wash and dry the vegetables and herbs. Cook the potatoes in their skins however you like. Boil the eggs for 9 minutes from when the water starts boiling, then cool them right away in cold water — they'll peel cleanly and won't have a gray ring around the yolk.
Step 2:

Tip the pineapple into a colander and let the syrup drain off well, then cut it into medium pieces. Canned pineapple chunks sometimes include bits of the tough core; cut those out carefully so the salad stays tender.
Step 3:

Since this salad is built in layers, it's easiest to grate and chop everything ahead of time and set it out in separate bowls. Pull the skin and bones off the chicken leg and cut the meat into small cubes. Finely chop the bell pepper, cucumber, napa cabbage, and herbs too. Grate the egg and cheese on the coarse side of a grater — you can mix them in one bowl, since they go into a single layer. Coarsely grate the potatoes separately.
Step 4:

If you bought the nuts already shelled, be sure to rinse and dry them first. Or toast them briefly in a dry skillet — that's up to you. Then chop them with a knife, but not too fine. You can use any nut you like or have on hand, but it's worth adding to the salad: it brings a pleasant nutty depth and works as a garnish too.
Step 5:

Once everything's prepped, all that's left is to layer it up, piping a thin lattice of mayonnaise over each layer. The order is: 1st — napa cabbage. 2nd — potatoes, with a little salt. 3rd — herbs.
Step 6:

Then the 4th layer — chicken, with a sprinkle of pepper blend if you like. 5th — cucumber, lightly salted too. 6th and 7th — egg and cheese (mixed together or one after the other). You can leave this pale layer on top, depending on how you want to decorate the salad — it makes a smooth surface, so there's plenty of room to get creative. If you'd rather, top it with pineapple instead.
Step 7:

And if you didn't swap that layer out, the 8th will be bell pepper. The 9th is pineapple, with nuts and sprigs of herbs tucked in between.
Step 8:

That's it — a delicious salad ready to delight you, for a special occasion or any day. If your bowl is large, repeat the layers. Like all layered salads, it looks great in a clear glass bowl or shaped into a round with a ring mold, so you can see every layer.

The chicken can be smoked, boiled, fried, or baked. The cucumber can be a pickle or a half-sour. You can use sour cream in place of mayonnaise. There are countless versions of pineapple salad, and your own experiments might lead to a signature one. But if you're not up for experimenting, start with this tried-and-true version — you may well love it!
It's better to make your own mayonnaise: tastier and better for you. See some great homemade mayonnaise recipes here. You can also dress the salad with sour cream or plain yogurt instead of mayo, on their own or blended with mayonnaise in any ratio you like — that lightens the dish.