Pantry raid

I've been on the prowl for lighter, summary dishes lately. It's been growing warmer here, and the thought of simmering something for hours or turning on the oven is losing appeal. Had several chickens in the freezer, cans of pineapple in the pantry, and the sad remains of a jar of mango-ginger chutney we made up last year. Surely something could be made here. Did a quick search on some of my favorite food-related websites, and voila - Cold Chicken Chutney Salad from Liete's Culinaria. Perfect!

I prepped carrots, onions and celery and tossed them in my stockpot, followed by the chicken. Simmered for 45 minutes, then removed the chicken and let it cool a little in a bowl in the sink. Removed the breast meat and shredded it, then returned the rest back into the simmering pot. The stock is still simmering away - I like to keep it going at least 6-8 hours so all the flavors make it into the liquid properly. Later I'll pour it into freezer containers and store for later use. So much better than canned chicken stock, and I get to enjoy a house filled with that wonderful chicken smell while I'm at it :-)

The breast meat was tender, moist, and easy to shred for the salad. Mixed all of the salad ingredients together (well, I substituted home made garam masala for the curry powder) and set it to chill in the refrigerator. Tossed mixed greens and arugula with a sesame-soy vinagrette, then topped with the chicken salad.

Pure heaven.