Moroccan style chicken salad

Chicken salad, along with tuna salad and egg salad, appears on the menu of just about every diner and luncheonette. You can have it on a sandwich, or under the “diet” section of the menu, on a plate without bread. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s good (most of the time), but it’s nothing special and not very interesting.

So let’s turn the ubiquitous chicken salad into something more interesting.

We’ll combine savory elements, such as piquant green olives, with something sweet, in the form of raisins and dried apricots. Shredded, rather than cubed chicken, alerts you that this is something different, even before your first bite. That thought will be confirmed by the earthy flavors of the North African spices. And, as a counterpoint to all the soft ingredients, we’ll add sliced almonds for a nice crunch. Served with mint tea, hot or iced, and a good flatbread, this makes a lovely lunch that can be prepared ahead of time, to be ready for you when you’re ready for it. (Think, a light Shabbat afternoon lunch.)

A simple refreshing dessert, such as the Moroccan favorite, Orange Slices with Cinnamon, Orange Blossom Water, and Honey puts a nice finish to the meal. You can serve the oranges with store bought cookies, such as almond biscotti. Although not Moroccan, these crunchy, not-too-sweet treats pair nicely with the tender oranges and they don’t require you to bake something for this quick and easy lunch. Because . . . then it wouldn’t be quick and easy.

Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients. They’re mostly spices.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients: 

1 medium whole chicken, roasted (a rotisserie chicken is perfect!)

mayonnaise, to your liking

olive oil as needed

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup raisins

½ cup dried apricots, cut into smallish pieces

½ cup slivered almonds

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup green olives, sliced

2 lemons, plus some of the peel, microplaned

kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Heat a glug of olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion over medium/low heat until it’s soft and translucent.

Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion begins to turn golden. Set the onion/garlic mixture aside to cool.

Shred the chicken. Toss it with all the remaining ingredients, including the onion/garlic mixture.

Add mayo to your liking. I like just enough to hold the salad together, without having it swimming in mayo. You can use more or less according to your own taste. Use your hands to gently mix it all together.

Taste the chicken salad and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Chill the chicken salad and mound it on a nice platter before serving, trimmed with sprigs of herbs and lemon slices. Serve it cold.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?`