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Snake Salad

Snake Salad (Festive Chicken & Pineapple Salad)

A themed salad shaped like a snake for New Year's and other celebrations. These same ingredients also make a great everyday salad—the classic pairing of chicken and pineapple takes well to all sorts of add-ins, and this particular mix is easy to shape into a snake's body for a festive centerpiece.

BLUE-EYED

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken breast (smoked-cooked, meat weight)

330

Eggs

Pineapple (canned rings, drained weight)

340

Walnuts

Hard cheese

100

Mayonnaise

120

Garlic

Black olives (more or less, as needed)

Pickles

Quail eggs

Carrot (for the crown and tongue)

0.75

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 38 % 8 g

Fats 48 % 10 g

Carbohydrates 14 % 3 g

131 kcal

GI: 33 / 67 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a Snake Salad? You can use any chicken—smoked or boiled. Hard-boil the eggs. You may not need salt; that's up to you. I used a mild Russian-style cheese; any cheese with a mild, creamy flavor, or your favorite, will work.
Step 2:

Make the dressing. Press the garlic into the mayonnaise, stir well, cover, and let it sit in the fridge until you need it. Leave out the garlic if you'd rather. Homemade mayonnaise is ideal; if you use store-bought, pick one that isn't too thick.
Step 3:

Cut the chicken, eggs, and pineapple into roughly the same small dice. Grate the cheese finely. Chop the walnuts with a knife so the pieces are smaller than everything else, but not down to fine crumbs. Combine it all in a deep bowl and dress with the garlic mayonnaise—the garlic just adds a subtle touch; it isn't very pronounced. You can build this salad in layers or simply mix it (the quicker way), which is what we'll do.
Step 4:

Since the decorating takes a good chunk of time, cover the salad and chill it. For the garnish, boil the quail eggs for 3–4 minutes and cool them quickly in water. Slice the olives into rounds, then halve them. Slice the pickles into almost see-through rounds (halving them looks even nicer). Use a very thin gherkin for the head. For the crown, take a piece of raw carrot about 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) tall and, with a sharp knife, cut out the center and then notch it into points.
Step 5:

To serve, use a flat platter about 12 inches (30 cm) across. Pipe a dotted mayonnaise outline to mark where the snake's body will go.
Step 6:

Mound the salad along the outline to shape the snake. Make the tail thin and gradually build up the body, forming the head last.
Step 7:

Coat the whole snake with a thin layer of mayonnaise—a pastry brush makes this easy. Start decorating with olives at the tail in a single line, then widen to a double row, tracing a winding "spine."
Step 8:

Add a pattern of pickle slices over the body. On the head, set olive eyes and a nose, and finish the pickle pattern with the gherkin. Place the quail eggs in the center and fill any bare spots on the platter with lettuce leaves or other greens. Set the carrot crown on the head and add a tongue cut from a thin sliver of carrot. Tuck some greens by the head, too. That's it—your New Year's salad is ready! Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until serving.

Mayonnaise-dressed salads aren't meant to be kept for long.
It's best to make the mayonnaise yourself—it'll taste better and be better for you. You can also use sour cream or plain yogurt as the dressing instead of mayonnaise, on their own or blended with mayonnaise in any ratio you like, which lightens up the dish.
How do you pick good black olives? Buy them in a clear container so you can check their look and color. If the olives are very black, dyes have likely been added. The olives should be firm and whole, with smooth, glossy skin—overly soft, overripe ones won't keep well.