Poached chicken, green bean and peach salad

Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 0 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Big knob ginger
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • Salt
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 4 ripe peaches, stoned and cut into quarters
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • Salt and pepper
  • Approx 500g green beans
  • Handful cashew nuts, toasted
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 3 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
  • Bunch parsley or basil

Serves six. Put the chicken in a large stock pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover and add the bay leaves, ginger, onion, salt and the lemon and orange zest. Bring up to a simmer and cook gently for about 40 minutes and then turn off the heat. Add the orange juice and let it sit in the water until it is cool enough to handle and tear up (about an hour). You could get everything else ready in the interim so you just have to toss everything together at the last minute. Put the peaches in a roasting tray and drizzle them with honey and season generously. Grill for a few minutes until they are starting to char. Pour a little olive oil on them and leave them until ready to serve. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for a minute and then refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

Roast the cashew nuts in an oven. Whisk together the olive oil, mustard, garlic and lemon juice. Season well and pour in the juices from the grilled peaches to sweeten. Shred the meat from the chicken (which should still be warm), discarding the skin, and arrange on a platter. Toss the green beans in a little of the dressing and arrange on top of the chicken. Scatter with the peaches and nuts, add chopped herbs and a little more dressing and serve.

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and food writer