Years ago at her cooking class in Provence, Patricia Wells introduced us to home-smoking food. In the class, we home-smoked salmon which was easy and delicious, with a subtle smoky flavor. Peter and I rushed to buy a Camerons smoker when we returned to New York and used it non-stop for months and months, and then like so many things, the smoker migrated to the back of our cabinet - forgotten for the time being.
Well, in her new cookbook, Salad As A Meal, Patricia re-introduced us to home-smoking, this time duck or chicken breasts, and her recipe for Smoked Chicken Breast Salad captured our taste-bud-imaginations. This recipe would probably be very good with poached or left-over roast chicken, but the smoky flavor adds a dimension that is unique and the chicken is incredibly moist. We really do encourage you to get a Camerons smoker, you'll find so many ways to use it.
Home-Smoked Chicken Breast
(4 servings)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Coarse sea salt
Coarse, freshly ground black pepper
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- Place the wood chips in a small pile in the center of the smoker base. Arrange the drip tray on top of the wood chips inside the smoker base. Place the metal rack on top of the tray. Arrange the poultry on top of the metal rack. Slide the lid closed.
- Place the entire unit on the burner set to moderate heat. Counting from the time you place the smoker on the burner, smoke for 15 minutes. Remove the unit from the heat and open the lid. Transfer the poultry to a warmed plate. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes, to let the juices retreat into the meat. Then cut lengthwise into very thin slices. (Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Smoked Chicken Breast Salad
(4 servings)
4 cups sorrel greens (or spinach), cut into a chiffonade
Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing
(1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice, ⅛ tsp lemon zest, ⅛ tsp fine sea salt,
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 small spring onions or scallions, white part only, trimmed, peeled, and very thinly sliced
1 small bulb of fennel, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 smoked chicken breasts
About 2½ ounces Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into thin strips (about ½ cup)
1 cup of Parmesan Croutons
(Warm toasted sour-dough croutons sprinkled with grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano)
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Place the greens in a large bowl and toss with just enough dressing to coat them lightly and evenly. In separate small bowls, toss the tomatoes, onions, the fennel, and the avocado with the dressing. Mound the green on 4 large dinner plates. Scatter the tomatoes, onions, and fennel. Slice each chicken breast lengthwise into 8 even slices. Arrange the chicken slices like the spokes of a wheel on top of the greens. Place the avocado around the edge of the salad. Top the chicken with the cheese. Scatter the croutons at the edge of the plate. Serve.
This was the first time Peter and I had eaten raw fennel and truly thought it would give off an over-powering flavor of licorice - well it doesn't, but what it does provide is wonderful texture and crunch. Really you can build a salad around the smoked chicken breast from ingredients you have in your crisper - be creative. What could you do with smoked chicken breast?
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