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Chicken Salad alla Gonzaga (Mantuan-Style with Raisins and Pine Nuts)
Chicken Salad alla Gonzaga, also known as Pollo alla Gonzaghesca, is a traditional recipe from Mantua, simple, elegant, and full of character.It's a fresh chicken salad made with boiled chicken, shredded into tender pieces and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. The raisins add a delicate sweet note, while the toasted pine nuts give the dish a pleasant crunch.
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken breast - about 1 ¾ pounds
- 40 g raisins - ¼ cup
- 30 g pine nuts - ¼ cup
- 1 organic lemon
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium onion
- 60 g extra virgin olive oil - 4 ½ tablespoons
- salt - to taste
- black pepper - to taste
- 1 sprig parsley
- 2 or 3 sage leaves
Instructions
- Prepare a simple vegetable broth. Place 1 celery stalk, the carrot, onion, and a small sprig of parsley in a pot of water. Add a little salt and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.Note: You can prepare the vegetable broth ahead of time. In that case, simply reheat it before adding the chicken.
- Add the chicken breast to the boiling broth. Add the sage leaves and, if needed, a little more salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and fully cooked.
- Place the raisins in a small bowl with lukewarm water and a little lemon juice. Let them soak until soft, then drain them well.
- Toast the pine nuts in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Shake the pan often so they toast evenly. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to brown them too much, or they may become bitter. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, a little salt, and black pepper. Whisk with a fork until slightly emulsified.
- When the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool slightly in the broth. Then transfer it to a large bowl and shred it coarsely with a knife and fork.
- Add the drained raisins and toasted pine nuts to the shredded chicken.
- Finely chop the remaining celery stalk and add it to the bowl, together with a little grated lemon zest, a handful of chopped parsley, and the dressing.
- Mix everything well. If the salad seems too dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the chicken cooking broth.
- Cover and let the chicken salad rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, so the flavors can blend.
- Serve Chicken Salad alla Gonzaga cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 2041kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 220gSaturated Fat: 62gPolyunsaturated Fat: 46gMonounsaturated Fat: 102gCholesterol: 170mgSodium: 32mgPotassium: 307mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2667IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
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